


The Strawberry Moon

by msmooseberry



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alpha Sasuke, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, OOC, Older Sasuke, Omega Naruto, Romance, SasuNaru - Freeform, Shapeshifting, Supernatural (just a bit), Suspense, Werewolves, Younger Naruto, light non-con, myths and legends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-02-14 16:24:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 38,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13011612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msmooseberry/pseuds/msmooseberry
Summary: When Naruto comes to a quiet picturesque valley in the mountains for vacation, it looks like he made the right decision - the place is heaven on earth. But soon the young omega realises that everything is not as serene and simple as it seems.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Last year on June 20 the Strawberry moon (June’s full moon that is) coincided with the summer solstice, which hasn’t happened since 1948. It was an extremely rare and beautiful astrological event, and it got me really inspired when I learnt about it. Apparently, the full moon and June solstice won’t fall on the same date until June 21, 2062.  
>    
> Warnings: mentions of heat cycles, scenting, mating bonds and general A/B/O dynamics. Beware if it's not your thing.  
>    
> Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and make no profit.

Naruto woke up to the fresh breeze coming through the half opened window to his right. It gently swayed the light green curtains littered with small yellow flowers and let in the first shy rays. The omega threw his arms up, hands hitting the board of the queen sized bed, and stretched his body so that his toes peaked from under the crumpled blankets, now laying askew and pooling on the floor on one side. A contended sigh left his lips, and cerulean eyes opened, then closed briefly as their owner blinked the last of sleep away. Finally his gaze travelled around the room to take in the surroundings, lit by soft morning light.  
   
It was a small but neat and cosy country house bedroom, wallpaper brandishing an intricate and perky floral print in greens, yellows and blues, which surprisingly did not clash with the curtains, and seemed to only complement the dark oak furniture that was set tastefully around the room. A little bedside table to Naruto’s left with a beautifully carved lamp in the form of some flower, a sturdy but compact wardrobe against the opposite wall, a desk with a matching chair beside it, and a comfortable looking armchair next to the window. It was perfect for a long awaited vacation.  
   
‘I was so right to listen to Sakura’s advice and come here’, thought Naruto as a lazy smile crept upon his face. When he talked to his colleague and childhood friend Sakura Haruno about his burning need to get away from the city hustle for a couple of weeks, the beta, after a brief moment of consideration, remembered a lovely village at the foot of the Fire country Mountain Ridge she used to visit with her parents when she was in grade school. She told Naruto then that it was the most peaceful place she had ever been at and assured him that he would definitely get his much needed rest there. Plus she promised that the food at Granny Chiyo’s Inn is to die for. Naruto took her at her word, so that was where he currently stayed at.  
   
The omega arrived in the evening, when the sun had already sat, so now he couldn’t wait to see the breathtaking scenery that the photos on the Internet only hinted at. He rolled out of bed and stepped on the hardwood floor, which was polished so dutifully, that it felt smooth and sleek under his bare feet. It was also ice cold, as Naruto soon discovered, but that didn’t stop him from walking to the window to open the curtains completely and look out.  
   
He was on the second and top floor of the inn, which gave him a beautiful view of the lake and the valley that stretched in front of the wooden building. He could also make out the tops of the mountains that stood on the farthest end of the valley, and the small clusters of houses, where most of the villagers lived in. The ridge kind of bent around the area, going in half-circle. The colourful flowers gradually gave way to the thick tree line, which stretched rather high up the mountain slopes. Still, eventually, the trees became more and more sparse until bare rock could be seen, only slightly touched with snow. The mountains stood dark grey and uninviting, as the sun rose from behind the ridge and cast a deep shadow for miles. The rays, however, already reached the lake and the inn, making the water bright and sparkling and the bark of the pines that grew around the house joyfully orange. That made Naruto smile – orange, after all, was his favourite colour.  
   
“Alright! Time for breakfast!” exclaimed the omega, and retreated back into the room to put on one of the several sets of clothes he brought in his medium sized brown suitcase. As he took it upon himself to study carefully the information about this place beforehand, Naruto knew that the weather here could be rainy even in the hottest days of summer, so he packed a rain coat together with a pair bathing shorts with bright pink flowers – a present Sakura got him for his eighteenth birthday and that he still used at twenty-five, so rare were his vacation trips to anywhere with a swimmable body of water.  
   
Naruto honestly hoped he would be able to try out the lake, it was really inviting in the morning light, but he had suspicions that the chilly air would make it impossible so early. Not that it would be able to dampen his mood anyway. He was quite alright with staying indoors on rainy days, which also seemed like a very nice pass-time here, especially with the comfy deep armchair and the lovely view he had from his room.  
   
The blond bent down to pick up the suitcase that the inn’s porter Konohamaru, a cute young alpha from the village, put down next to the desk last evening. He told Naruto that he was working this summer to show his old man (his grandpa, as Naruto figured out later) that he was independent already – that is, at the very mature age of twelve. Naruto nodded encouragingly until the boy explained that his ultimate goal was to save up enough cash to take his eleven-year-old girlfriend Moegi to Fire Magic Land – a popular amusement park in the capital, that is, half a country away. As soon as the omega caught up on Konohamaru’s enthusiastic but quite dangerous line of thought, being a dutiful social worker even on his vacation, Naruto tentatively tried to talk the young alpha out of his plan, but wasn’t sure he quite succeeded. The boy only thanked him absent-mindedly for the generous tip (he hauled Naruto’s suitcase all the way up the stairs after all) and hurried down to answer Granny Chio’s impatient call.  
   
“Kids these days,” Naruto sighed at the memory, and stood up, wanting to put the heavy weight on the chair, when his vision suddenly turned black and the room took a spin before his eyes. Luckily, he managed to balance himself fast enough to avoid falling backwards and dropping the suitcase on himself.  
   
“Damn it,” Naruto took a shallow breath and, finally setting the thing down, took a couple of steps to sink heavily onto the bed. That was one of the reasons he took the vacation. His cycle.  
   
Naruto has always been a serious and selfless worker, and took his job very close to heart. He knew he wanted to go into social service since he was a kid, mostly because of Iruka – a social worker who got his case when he lost his parents at thirteen to a car accident on a busy highway one spring afternoon. The circumstances of their death were also why Naruto found his calling so early. The irony was that it wasn’t raining that day, on the contrary, the weather was sunny and warm. It wasn’t some drunk asshole who ran into his parents’ car, nor was it their fault – his father had always been a careful driver. It was a teenager, a beta, who threw himself under the car.  
   
When Naruto learned of the tragedy – from the officer who came to visit their residence that evening, - he thought he would always hate that beta. But Iruka kept him updated on the proceedings of the case, that was started by the family of a young businessman, who died in the collision of several other cars, provoked by the teenager’s suicide. It was hard, but Naruto was finally able to forgive him. More than that, he decided he wanted to prevent any such cases and help those who are in need until it is too late. He learned that the beta who took his and several other lives that day was severely abused at home, and his timid nature prevented him from reaching out for help. Naruto knew, if he were given the chance, he would have helped him, would have done anything in his power to prevent the fatal decision the kid took that day. That was what he was doing now.  
   
Unfortunately, and partially due to his omega nature, Naruto was very compassionate, and the most difficult cases left him in a dull daze for more than a week at times. He managed to cope with it, but not without the help of his physician, Tsunade, who was less than happy to prescribe him the suppressants he needed. Of course, she warned him against taking them without breaks, but Naruto chose to ignore these warnings, thinking that his less prominent omega side would be more beneficial to his work. One thing was to stay at the office, where more than half of the staff were either omegas or betas, quite another thing was to go on inspection into poor and dangerous neighbourhoods. Naruto knew he could stand his back, but still thought he looked more authoritative when he didn’t feel the need to bend his head every time a pissed-off and sometimes (more often than not) inebriated alpha shouted, looking down on his 5’6” tall self.  
   
However, every convenience has to have its price, and last month Naruto finally had to acknowledge it. While Tsunade strongly recommended him monthly check-ups, with his schedule, Naruto barely managed to visit her every three months. When he woke up all burning up and almost broke his leg trying to stumble to the bathroom as fast as he could before he inevitably emptied his badly aching stomach on the light blue carpet in the living room, the blond realised that something must be terribly wrong with him. He thought that, perhaps, he should have taken earlier the call his body was obviously giving him all week with splitting headaches and nausea every morning. But Naruto stubbornly wrote it off as a weird case of flu or something.  
   
‘Or something’, according to a rather exasperated Tsunade, turned out to be a severe case of hormonal disbalance. When Naruto dared to ask what exactly it incurred, the doctor explained with a saddened sigh that it was his body's reaction to the suppressants - as its natural functions were being constantly sedated by a complex synthesised formula based on the alpha hormones, it gradually started to reject the treatment, causing Naruto much suffering. To that disheartening statement Tsunade had to add another shameful factor - had Naruto been formerly exposed to alpha hormones in necessary proportions, his reaction to suppressants would most probably have been better. To Naruto's owlish stare the impatient beta flatly said “You should've fucked some bloke already”.  
   
Yes, at twenty five Naruto was still a virgin. Not that he was a prude or a specially vigorous omega rights fighter (some of whom, he heard, were determined to have relationships only with the representatives of their own gender, and looked upon submitting to an alpha as something below them), but he could see their point, kind of.  
   
That didn't change the fact that his body went all out on him because of his gender's basic needs, and something had to be done for him to function properly again. Tsunade's immediate suggestion was that he went off suppressants until his bodily functions return to the norm, and Naruto had nothing to say against it.  
   
So here he was, off his pills and close to nature. He just hoped it wouldn’t take him too long to recover. The start of autumn always proved to be extremely busy for the social services - with the colder months setting in the homeless needed more tending to in soup kitchens and shelters, the seasonal depression added pressure on the hotlines and the worsening weather conditions rose the risk of fatal accidents that often led to the need in counselling. Thus, Naruto felt he was obliged to return by the end of summer to take on his duties in Konoha, one of the busiest cities in the Fire country.  
   
But for now his main goal was to regain his good health, which he was going to do with the same determination that he did his job. When the omega felt that his head was no longer spinning, he carefully stood up again and proceeded with his plan for the morning. When he unzipped the suitcase, his eyes fell upon the books that he put on top of the clothes. Those were his mother's legacy, and his guilty pleasure. Romance novels, the corniest ones at that, but selected with good taste. Well, maybe Naruto thought so because it was his mother who read them, but he didn't care, he liked them too.  
   
Those were traditional ‘omega meets the perfect alpha’ books, often with a lot of unexpected plot twists which keep you on edge when you read, even though the outcome is always a happily ever after. Betas were rarely introduced in these stories as independent interesting characters, but Naruto never concentrated too much on that fact. For him the romantic plots were like intricately made cardboard doll houses with the dolls, beautifully shaped and cut, inside them. They had little to do with reality, as the circumstances in which the two destined lovers met were way too perfect, and their love too blinding and all-consuming to be true.  
   
In his mother's novels an omega never had to worry about more than their looks, their household and their honour, which was always taken by the alpha of their choice - of course, the one with the perfect lineage, potent genes and a good fortune to make his new family's life as comfortable as possible. ‘If only it was that simple,’ Naruto thought, remembering some of the toughest cases he went through at the office, when asked to sort out the old files. The world was cruel to all genders equally, and the stories of their lives seldomly had happy endings.  
   
If somebody asked Naruto why he read such unrealistic saccharine novels (and he hoped this day would never come, as he most certainly would die of embarrassment before he could formulate a proper answer), he would probably say it was to keep his mother’s memory and her unwavering faith in the good side of things and everybody’s equal right for happiness. But deep down the blond knew that it was for his own sake as well. He was constantly faced with the ugly side of life and wanted something that would make him forget about it. So he immersed himself into the dream world of fiction. There were, of course, plots that included dramatic events, like a kidnapping, clashing social statuses, evil siblings, tragic misunderstandings and the like. But those only made the stories better in Naruto's opinion, because the good always prevailed in the end. What also made an important part of romantic stories was a special attention to scenting.  
   
Naruto knew from the anthropology class he took at university that quite a long time ago alphas and omegas under certain circumstances (usually when their strongest emotions such as anger, lust, or fear came to the fore) were able to emit much more potent scents than betas. It was part of their socialising mechanism, and helped them to translate their intentions without other means of communication. Back at that time alphas and omegas were still able to shift into their ancestors' animalistic forms, a skill that betas lost much earlier together with secondary animal features - a heightened sense of smell, a sharper sight, faster reactions, stronger bones and quicker regeneration. Throughout the ages alphas and omegas lost most of these qualities too, and were now almost equal to betas, but the memory of the strong bond that has always existed between the two genders persisted.  
   
Aside from the purely natural reaction omegas and alphas had in each other's presence, the show industry chose the most popular trope - the mating bond - and exploited it to no end. They even included betas in the most outrageous scenarios to attract more customers and sell more products. One time at the pharmacy  Naruto saw alpha and omega scent essences, whose bright stickers boasted that these synthetic scents could increase one's libido to prolong the night of pleasure, or attract the opposite gender like the natural ones.  
   
It would be funny, Naruto thought, if an alpha or an omega really took a fake scent for the real one, but suspected it would be partly the romance writers' fault. He never understood why they kept comparing natural scents to those of fruits or flowers, or even abstract things like wind on a rainy day or warm river sand. When he read such descriptions he could never guess what it must be - mild, strong, salty, bitter? You could never guess with these metaphors, or whatever those are called. Sometimes Naruto thought he would like his scent to resemble something concrete - like ramen, you could never mistake that for anything. Instead, when he tried to describe what he smelled like when he caught a whiff before taking a shower or during his heats, the only thing that came to mind was - strong. He couldn't place it directly in the sweet, bitter or salty category. Maybe it was the mix of all three. It didn't put him off too much, so he guessed it was okay.  
   
At times Naruto caught himself fantasising what it would be like to live a life of an omega from one of mom's books. To be swept off his feet by a strong and confident alpha who would take him to the stars in his big and comforting hands. ‘Too easy,’ he berated himself then with a scoff. Such fairy tales were just not meant to be. At least not for him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments! :3 I really like to know what you guys think. Now on to the next chapter.
> 
> Warnings: hot Asuma, mentions of tragedy, slow paced.

When Naruto came down to the dining hall, the tables set out on the veranda while the weather was nice, he immediately caught sight of Konohamaru in the company of two other kids, with whom he chatted animatedly. The boy was gesturing wildly with one hand, the other clutching the handle of a broom he was most likely instructed to put to good use.  
   
“Oh! Hello, big brother Naruto!” greeted the young alpha as soon as his eyes met with Naruto's. The omega sat at the table in the right corner of the veranda, which provided a wonderful view of the little fountain in the inn's rose garden.  
   
“Morning, Konohamaru. These must be your friends?” Naruto asked the boy and nodded at the approaching duo, holding his gaze a little longer on the girl with two sloping red ponytails, and then looking pointedly at Konohamaru.  
   
“Yeah, this is Udon, my classmate, and Moegi.”  
   
“Nice to meet you,” Naruto smiled at the bespectacled beta and the shy brown-eyed omega, who greeted him in response.  
   
“What are you going to do today, Naruto?” Konohamaru clearly decided to lead this conversation, but his friends didn't seem to mind.  
   
“Well, first I'm going to replenish my strength with appropriate nourishment,” stated Naruto matter-of-factly. Three pairs of eyes blinked at him in confusion. The blond snorted, “I'm gonna get my breakfast.”  
   
“Ah, then you'll love Granny's pancakes! She's just baked a batch, I'll go get 'em! What you'd like to drink?” the little alpha quickly regained his composure and started off towards the kitchen, asking the question while walking backwards.  
   
“Something hot would be cool,” called Naruto after him, grinning at his own joke. Udon and Moegi soon caught up on it too and joined him in soft laughter.  
   
“Have you seen the lake already?” Moegi asked first.  
   
“Only from my room, it looks really beautiful, I’d love to take a swim.”  
   
“Pity it's going to be raining the whole week,” Udon spoke up and sniffed at the end as if to accentuate his point.  
   
“Udon! You didn't have to be so blunt!”  
   
“Oh, it's okay,” Naruto hurried to reassure Moegi, who looked truly distressed by the beta's words. “I like rainy weather too, I'm all prepared, see?” And Naruto demonstrated his leather boots. He put them on, decideding to go on a bit of hiking into the woods that enclosed the inn from the back.  
   
Moegi looked like she was ready to say something else when Konohamaru came tumbling back, a tray in his hands surprisingly steady.  
   
“Here, the pancakes, and jam, I didn't know which one you liked so I took all three, scrambled eggs, cheese, and toast. And Granny made her special tea today, she says it'll do you good,” the alpha finished his little speech placing each item he named in front of the host.  
   
“What do you mean ‘do me good’?” Asked Naruto curiously, to which Konohamaru only shrugged.  
   
“Dunno, just your omega stuff, I guess.”  
   
“What-?” Naruto started again but was distracted by the appearance of another host on the veranda. What caught the blond's attention was his stance - the young man approximately his age was slouching forward and just barely standing upright.  So when he bent down to take a seat, Naruto almost started from his, because for a moment he thought the unfortunate man will take the dive all the way to the ground. To say the blond was surprised he managed to manoeuvre himself into the wicker chair without any accidents would be putting it mildly.  
   
“Don't worry, that's Shikamaru. He's just lazy like that.” Said Konohamaru nodding in the direction of the newly arrived character. Catching Naruto's questioning stare, he explained, “He stays up all night playing shogi then sleeps in, only gets up for breakfast, but now he's like a zombie. You better chat him up after noon.”  
   
“Hah, got it.” Naruto shrugged incredulously and continued to watch as the young man, a beta, he concluded, fell back into the chair and threw back his head with closed eyes. ‘He definitely looks dead to the world,’ Naruto thought, but then saw a tall, broad shouldered, dark haired bearded man casually stroll up to the beta's table, to which the latter gave a slight salute in acknowledgement. Surprised, the blond looked at the mostly one-sided exchange between the two that followed, the alpha saying something in a low voice leaning on the wooden fence and the beta nodding lazily once in a while.  
   
“That's uncle Asuma, he works in the garden here, and helps with the repairs,” Konohamaru dutifully chimed in.  
   
“Oh, so he's your uncle?” asked Naruto, looking back at Konohamaru. “Good to know someone’s got your back here,” he added sincerely, to which the young alpha's cheeks reddened a bit.  
   
“Y-yeah, but it's not like I need him to...” He cleared his throat and straightened his shoulders. “Anyway, I've got my schedule, so have a good stay!” Konohamaru stated importantly and went back to the discarded broom in the dining hall.  
   
“Good luck, big brother Naruto, I hope you'll like it here!” Said Moegi and hurried after the little alpha, followed closely by Udon, who waved Naruto goodbye.  
   
For some time Naruto ate in comfortable silence, which was broken only by the occasional chirping of birds and the rustling of trees and rose bushes in the garden. He was so engrossed in the rich flavours of his first breakfast here that he barely registered the movement before him, until a tall figure loomed over his table.  
   
“Hello there,” a deep smooth voice called to him, making Naruto gulp hastily the food he was chewing and look up from his plate. His eyes met with dark brown ones.  
   
“H-hi, I mean, good morning,” Naruto stuttered and immediately felt stupid. “You must be Konohamaru's uncle.”  
   
“That'd be me. Asuma, nice to meet you...”  
   
“Naruto,” offered the blond and reached for a handshake. His breath hitched and his eyes flew open comically when the alpha, and Naruto had no doubt that the manly man before him was one, gently took his hand in his much bigger one and, turning it backside up, gave it a swift but certain kiss. Naruto would've snatched his hand away and probably yelled at the man indignantly, had his eyes not shone with brutal sincerity and friendliness.  
   
‘Okay, Naruto, no need to panic, it's just some rural tradition that went straight from the pages of your sappy novels,’ he frantically tried to reassure himself. And give him a break, he's never seen a man who fit so accurately the standard description of a hot and potent alpha who starred in his favourite books. Something in this man spoke of raw nature, but it did not immediately put the blond in a lustful frenzy, which was usually the case with the frail and more than ready omegas. No, this man just made Naruto like him, trust him, and be ready to lean on his strong shoulder in the time of need. And it was this startling new feeling that made Naruto's face light up in a blush.  
   
“How you’ve liked it here so far, Naruto?” Asuma asked him meanwhile.  
   
“Well,” Naruto needed to gulp to make his suddenly dry throat work again. “I haven't been outside the inn yet, but the views are sure breathtaking,” he smiled shyly but made himself look the alpha straight in the eye. What was up with him, he's taken head on much more aggressive and massive looking men before, why all these emotions now. Perhaps, it was Asuma's tone and touch, so different from the ones he was used to, that threw him so much.  
   
“I'd be glad to give you a tour, but the weather isn't going to look too good for the week to come,” the alpha said apologetically.  
   
“It'll be fine, I'm sure I'll find something to keep myself occupied.” Naruto gave Asuma a cheeky grin, “Besides, I packed enough warm clothes and thought of going on a little hike today.”  
   
Something shifted almost imperceptibly on Asuma's face, yet his eyes remained the same friendly warm brown. “Why don't you keep Shikamaru company today. I’m sure you two will find plenty of stuff to talk about.” The alpha looked at Naruto hopefully now. “Come join us, I'll introduce you.”  
   
Naruto felt his chest clench a bit, and was surprised by the reason. ‘Us’, said the perfect alpha. The moment the realisation hit him, Naruto berated himself angrily. What kind of thoughts he was having all morning? And about a completely strange alpha.  
   
“Yeah, sure, maybe a bit later? I still have to unpack...” Naruto trailed off under Asuma’s scrutinizing gaze.  
   
This odd behaviour of his had to be stopped. Naruto quickly excused himself and left the veranda, stubbornly ignoring the alpha’s questioning eyes that he felt were following him. He ascended the stairs with heavy steps. ‘It must be the new climate. I just have to get used to it.’ With such thoughts Naruto closed the door to his room and went to the still opened suitcase, determined to go out and explore the place like he intended to. He just needed some fresh air in his system, and the woods behind the inn seemed like the perfect place.  
   
\-----  
   
As Naruto passed the dining hall half an hour later, now clad in thicker jeans and his favourite orange hoodie which always kept him warm and cosy, he couldn’t see Asuma and Shikamaru anywhere. The blond let out a sigh of relief and adjusted the straps of the small backpack on his shoulders. He wasn’t ready to face them just yet. When the anxiety of the unexpected encounter with the dreamy alpha died down, he was able to look straight at the situation and himself in it. ‘Can’t believe I ran just like that,’ the omega fumed on the inside.  
   
He quickly made his way to the front door and in his haste almost missed the old lady sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch.  
   
“Good morning to you too, you busy little bee,” she greeted, making Naruto spin his head and almost loose his footing on the top step. “Careful there.”  
   
“Granny Chiyo! Morning,” the blond sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. Now that he faced the  inn’s owner, he could properly study her in the daylight, as the evening of his arrival he was too distracted by Konohamaru’s active flailing and chatter to do that. The old omega was small and looked comfortably nestled in her chair, a woollen blanket carefully tucked under her legs and knitting needles swiftly moving in her hands, creating something long and blue, a scarf probably, loop after loop.  
   
“Everything’s been to your taste this morning?”  
   
“Yes, perfect!” Naruto smiled broadly.  
   
“Hope the Sarutobis weren’t getting too much on your nerves.”  
   
“Sarutobis? You mean...”  
   
“Konohamaru and Asuma. Those alphas can be quite a handful.”  
   
“Oh, not at all,” Naruto lied, but that brought back something Konohamaru said when he served his breakfast. “Granny, what was that tea you made me?”  
   
“Ah, I guess Konohamaru told you then.”  
   
“Well, not really,” Naruto said thoughtfully, remembering the little alpha’s awkward explanation.  
   
“You know that Tsunade and I used to work at the rehabilitation centre in the Tea country.”  
   
“Oh,” the gears in Naruto’s head started to turn with a growing pace.  
   
“She informed me of your state, when you told her where you’d be going on vacation. And I’m glad you chose this place, nothing better for regaining contact with your primal nature than the Fire Ridge.”  
   
‘Primal nature’? Well, that must be just another way of saying ‘hormonal disbalance treatment’, or however Tsunade put it in his medical record.  
   
“Yeah, can’t wait to do just that,” Naruto grinned and tugged at one strap of his backpack to accentuate his intention.  
   
“You going for a walk in the woods?” asked Chiyo with a strange emotion in her voice, if Naruto tried to classify it, it would be somewhere between concern, calculation and approval.  
   
“I... yeah, I thought I’d like to get some fresh air,” the end of his phrase somehow came out sounding like a question.  
   
“That’s alright,” Chiyo nodded, but stopped her knitting and added, looking him squarely in the eyes, “Just don’t go too high up north, there’s private property you wouldn’t want to trespass this time of the year.”  
   
“Why?” Naruto couldn’t think of a better question at Chiyo’s odd choice of words.  
   
“You probably saw the fans at the station?”  
   
“Those red and white ones? It’s hard to miss them, they’re everywhere,” the blond made a chuckle, which quickly died in his throat when he saw the old omega’s face. It seemed that she was looking past him at the nearest cluster of trees, her eyes searching something in the depths of her memory.  
   
“That’s the Uchiha crest. They were the first to settle here, long long time ago. Their clan was a big one, and truly strong – all its members either alpha, or omega. They were said to be the last in the Fire country who preserved the ability to fully shift shapes.” Chiyo made a pause, as if to let that information sink in.  
   
“Wait, fully?” Of course, Naruto heard of some cases where alphas, much rarely omegas, were able to shift some parts of their bodies in critical situations – usually their arms or legs, which turned to clawed paws and the person gained inhuman strength to protect themselves or someone else. Such heroic instances always caused an uproar and were made known to the whole world by the media. The blond, however, given his line of work, also heard of  less positive outcomes of partial shiftings, caused by anger, uncontrollable lust during ruts, and primal fear. What always shocked the omega was the fact that these negative emotions triggered much more advanced changes in the body – the person’s face turned into a wolf-like snout, arms and legs grew claws, hair and muscle, while their whole body twisted in a feral stance, taut and ready to attack. Few knew of these blood-curdling shiftings, as the alphas and omegas who had undergone them were consequently put in confinement.  
   
That’s why Chiyo’s words deeply worried him. Just to imagine what drove the person who was able to shift their body fully was terrifying. But the old lady didn’t seem to share his predicament, because she confirmed her previous statement with a slight smile, “Yes, and they were majestic.” Naruto gulped uneasily, as she went on, “But as years passed, their numbers got smaller, until only one family remained.”  
   
“Do they still live here?” the blond asked the question that bothered him since the old omega mentioned the Uchihas’ dangerous ability.  
   
“No,” she said, somewhat sadly, but just as Naruto wanted to let out a sigh of relief, Chiyo added with a sly smirk, “Only one.”  
   
She saw the omega’s tension and was obviously amused by it. Naruto grumbled, realising that the inn’s owner must be pulling his leg. However, she quickly turned serious again.  
   
“There was a big fire in their mansion almost thirty years ago. It claimed all the remaining Uchihas, except for one boy.” The old omega made yet another pause, which compelled Naruto, who was now genuinely curious about the sole survivor, to ask the question before she continued.  
   
“What happened to him then?” Chiyo slowly shook her head, looking at her hands, and the blond assumed the worst.  
   
“Sasuke was just a child, no more than six. He came down to the meadow, all covered in soot and dirt, his feet bare, bruised and bleeding, as well as his hands. He looked lost and didn’t even look up when people called to him. I took him to the inn and treated his wounds. Surprisingly, he had no burns, just cuts and scratches. When I tried to ask him what happened, he looked at me with such sorrow that I couldn’t bring myself to ever ask him again.”  
   
Naruto listened in stunned silence, he didn’t even dare to breathe, so when Chiyo finished, air left him in a weak whoosh. Then he remembered what she said earlier and frowned. “So he lives in the village now?” The omega suddenly felt a strong urge to meet this Sasuke Uchiha, to talk to him and, perhaps, to share his pain. Naruto, of all people, knew how dangerous it could be to keep your emotions bottled up. Chiyo curtly shook her head in denial, and Naruto, disappointment already filling him, thought that was all there was to this tragic story, when she looked up at him and, catching his eyes, said, “He comes to his old home each month for a couple of days.”  
   
“His old h... You mean the mansion?” Naruto asked perplexed, “But didn’t you say it had burned down?”  
   
“Yes. But he rebuilt it, so now it stands as good as it ever was,” somehow Chiyo’s tone held no cheer at all. And Naruto understood. Just how excruciating it must have been to raise from dust your childhood home, knowing all the time that it would never be the same without those who lived there and filled the cold mute walls with feeling and sense of belonging.  
   
“I see...” the omega couldn’t find the words at the moment, he was completely lost in his own thoughts. Chiyo seemed to have sensed his saddened state.  
   
“Why don’t you go down to the lake, the water lilies must be blooming already.” Naruto gave her a weak smile and, saying his goodbyes slowly started down the path. Only when he was a fair distance away from the inn’s front porch did the blond turn around.  
   
He spotted Granny Chiyo in the same place, she resumed her knitting and was now rocking lightly in her chair, then his gaze travelled to the line of trees that, from this angle, seemed to be hugging the wooden building from behind, as if wanting to engulf it in its depths. He looked higher, past the roof, at the woods that grew thickly on the slopes of the mountainous area. The rocks here were not as high as the ones that formed the Ridge, but they were still rather steep.  Naruto squinted at the sun which now shone above him and put a hand up to shield his eyes from the bright rays. Just before he was going to turn in the opposite direction and resume his walk, a brief blinking among the tree trunks several miles away from the inn caught his attention.  
   
‘Could it be-,’ but before a thought fully formed in his head, a loud splash behind him made the blond jump and quickly turn around.  
   
As it turned out, he was only a few feet from the lake, and when the omega rounded the line of overgrown bushes to his right he came face to face with the sparkling cool surface, which was now reflecting the milky white sky. The clouds were slowly advancing from the south, taking up the baby blues of the summer sky and the warmth of the rays that the yellow globe bestowed on the meadow. The ducks, splashing happily in the shallow water closer to the high bank, and the flowers that grew all over the grassy territory along the lake did not seem to be bothered by the loss in the slightest. Naruto, however, felt a chill run down his spine. A strange feeling of being watched suddenly overcame the blond and made him turn abruptly in the direction of the inn, which was barely visible now because of the overpowering growth  that stood before him like a wall.  
   
He trained his eyes on the spot where he saw the blinking just a minute ago. The trees stood unmoving, and the shade they gave seemed to be impenetrable by the dimming light.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More mysteries! And Sasuke kinda appears.
> 
> Warnings: slow paced, sexy time, and vivid imagination.

Returning back to the inn, Naruto felt refreshed and drained at the same time. When he met Konohamaru in the dining hall, all he managed in response to a boisterous greeting was a weak wave and a sleepy nod. Then he went straight upstairs. In his room the omega barely took off his shoes and dropped down his suddenly too heavy backpack, throwing it somewhere at the foot of the bed, plopped down on the crumpled covers and, hugging a pillow closer to his chest, immediately drifted off to sleep.  
   
...Only to wake up with a start some five hours later. It was late evening, judging by the darkness outside the window. Naruto awkwardly tugged his hand free from the twisted up blanket and brought it to eye level to check the time on his electronic wrist watch. It read 22:56. The blond groaned and tried to get up, but his head gave a dangerous spin and he decided to take it slower. The omega almost fell asleep again, but his stomach decided otherwise, loudly making itself known.  
   
“Food it is then,” Naruto mumbled and this time carefully rolled out of bed.  
   
Going down the stairs, the blond started to doubt his decision, after all, everybody must be already sleeping. Still, he decided he would check out the kitchen for leftovers from dinner. And when Naruto reached his destination, he wasn't disappointed - a tray, that was covered with a brass lid and had two small handles in the form of curving ivy leaves, was sitting on the top counter, no doubt waiting for him. The omega felt the corners of his lips lift in a slow smile, which only broadened when he took notice of a sloppily folded piece of paper tucked under the tray. It was a note from Konohamaru, that read in uneven letters “Eat well, big brother Naruto!” and had a smiley face at the bottom.  
   
Naruto took the tray and went out into the dining hall. He hoped he could eat in the dim light of the lamps that lined one side of the room, the other taken up by an intricately made stained-glass window, which flooded the room with a rainbow of colours during the day. The blond paused in his careful steps (it was rather dark in the middle of the hall, where the lamp light couldn't reach) when he saw a line of orange light coming through the double doors that led to the veranda and were cracked open a bit. Naruto tensed up momentarily, thinking someone could have broken in and was going to attack him any second now (and he was holding a trayful of food, for God’s sake!). Then he heard a soft clicking sound but could register no movement otherwise. As the blond liked to think of himself as a brave and fearless man, he determinedly put his tray on the nearest table and swiftly came up to the doors. Yet he hesitated to open them, nervously trying to guess what could be waiting for his move on the other side.  
   
About a minute ticked by and Naruto’s hand still hovered over the door handle, when a calm voice said “Aren't you going to come out?”  
   
The suddenness of the question made the omega jump, but also gave him confidence, and he quickly pushed the doors open. The sight that greeted him was one of the lazy beta from this morning. Shikamaru was sitting at the left corner table, a shogi board in front of him, and a steaming mug in one hand. He turned his head to Naruto and, giving him a slight smile, gestured at the vacant chair opposite him.  
   
“Yeah, sure,” Naruto answered, feeling the need to verbally accept the silent invitation, and with an awkward “I’ll just get my...” went back into the hall to fetch his tray.  
   
When the blond finally reached Shikamaru’s table, the latter adjusted the board so that Naruto could safely place his late dinner in front of it. The omega remembered Konohamaru’s words about Shikamaru’s nightly activities, so he didn't question him. Surprisingly, neither did the beta, and for the next half an hour they sat in silence, broken only by the occasional clicking of shogi pieces that Shikamaru moved at a leisurely pace, the soft clinking of utensils against Naruto’s plate (it held mouthwatering rabbit stew which was still warm) and the chirping of crickets in the garden.  
   
When Naruto took the lid off the tray what immediately caught his attention was a small pot of tea in a knitted cosy that had a lovely flower pattern on it. A matching cup stood next to it, and as the blond poured out the tea, recognising the brew from the morning by its strong and savoury herbal scent, he was pleasantly surprised to find it actually hot. Now, that the omega was finishing his late meal, he sipped at the hot liquid carefully and watched his night companion do the same. At this point, however, the silence between them started to seem a bit stretched so Naruto took it upon himself to speak up first.  
   
“So... have you always lived here?” Naruto grasped his cup tighter as he realised how unceremonious his question might sound.  
   
“What, in the inn?” Shikamaru only smirked at him, and the blond felt his face heat up. Naruto was about to correct himself, but the beta continued, “I come here for business every month and stay a couple of days,” somehow the timing seemed familiar, but Naruto couldn't immediately place it, so he concentrated on the reason that Shikamru gave him instead.  
   
“Business?” the omega couldn't help but ask. In his mind ‘business’ always went hand in hand with pressed expensive suits, leather cases and large sums of money, which clashed with Shikamaru’s laid back appearance and behaviour, as well as with the place they currently were at - a homely inn in a secluded mountainous area hardly screamed of business deals.  
   
“Yes, I’m a personal assistant,” the man gave no further explanation though, much to Naruto’s chagrin. “What about you?”  
   
Now the blond felt rather awkward, he couldn't quite tell the beta he came here because of health problems, yet felt Shikamaru had the right to ask, as he himself was so nosy just now. So he settled for a half truth, “I'm here on vacation. The peace and quiet are just what I needed for some time already.”  
   
“Hm, you chose an interesting time of the year.” the brunet said enigmatically, looking at his board in thought.  
   
“What? How's summer so interesting?” now Naruto was genuinely confused. What was it with this place in late June that made people mention it all the time - first Granny Chiyo, now Shikamaru, and Naruto had a sneaking suspicion that was something Asuma intended to talk to him about when he invited him to the beta’s table at breakfast. He was starting to feel uneasy.  
   
“Have you heard of the Black Flame Summer festival?” at the omega’s blank stare, Shikamaru continued with a sigh, “Well, I'm not really surprised, it's a rather old tradition that has long died out in most of the villages, including this one.”  
   
“Then why-?” Naruto started but Shikamaru interrupted him, “It was a fest that celebrated the blessings of the sun goddess Amaterasu, the patroness of omegas, who always took part in different rituals that were supposed to boost their fertility.”  
   
“Oh,” Naruto was not that keen on religion, but could still imagine what it must have been like. He shivered slightly at the thought, and hurried to place his half empty cup on the table so as not to splash himself with now lukewarm tea.  
   
“Here, however, the villagers had a very special tradition.” Shikamaru paused, and when Naruto looked up from the table, he could see the beta’s sharp dark brown eyes carefully studying him.  
   
“Was it because of the Uchihas?” Naruto made a guess.  
   
“Yes. The night of the summer solstice the Uchiha omegas would get essential oils from the village and gather them in ceramic vials they made for the occasion, then they would make a procession to the shrine that stood on the Uchiha grounds. There they were met by the alpha members of the clan and performed a ceremony together. At midnight the Uchiha shifted and...”  
   
“Okay, I got it!” Naruto hurried to stop Shikamaru before he went into too much detail. The beta only smirked at the reaction, shrugging his shoulders. “But what does it have to do with this summer? I mean, the Uchihas are no longer...” but the blond couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. It would just be unfair to Sasuke, even though it was true - his family was no more. A dull ache suddenly clenched his heart.  
   
“The people might have forgotten the tradition, but this place remembers.” Naruto looked at the beta quizzically. “There is an interesting belief that the villagers still have here - when the full moon appears on the night of the summer solstice, it means that the sun goddess is visited by her celestial husband, the moon god Tsukuyomi. On such night one can find their true mate. It happens once in every half-century, and you just happened to be here for the occasion.” Shikamaru finished with a sly smile. Naruto blinked and realised that this must be Shikamaru’s idea of a joke, so he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.  
   
“Just my luck, huh?” the blond then felt a strange light-headedness and had a strong urge to lie down. He excused himself and, having wished the beta goodnight (which he suspected the brunet would spend awake anyway), went back to the inn. When he put away the tray and finally made it to his room, Naruto thought he was starting a fever, as his head began to spin before he landed safely on the bed and instantly fell into an uneasy sleep.  
   
The blond dreamed of the village station that he arrived at the previous night. He stood on the platform, which was eerily empty. If it was not for the lanterns that lined the wooden walls of the station building in front of him, Naruto would have thought the place had been abandoned a long time ago. Focusing on the lanterns, he was surprised to see that they were made out of paper and had small candles inside, which the omega guessed by the slight flickering of the light. “Now that's odd... why would they use candles, maybe the lights went out?” It was only when Naruto got closer that he made out the small red fans that were painted on the white paper. He stared at the way the candle light lit up the red dots from the inside and for some reason couldn't tear his eyes away. That is, until he heard a branch snap loudly behind him.  
   
The omega swiftly turned around and looked into the darkness, past the rails and at the thick bushes and trees that grew close to the station. His eyes must have needed more time to adjust to the meagre light because Naruto could have sworn he saw two red dots that shone from among the pitch black foliage. The blond blinked a couple of times and felt his blood run cold as he realised that the dots were in fact two blood red eyes trained on him, unblinking and feral.  
   
\------  
   
The morning made one thing clear - it was not ordinary fever. As Naruto cracked his eyes open to the annoyingly bright morning sun, sleep gradually retreating its thick suffocating clutches, the omega realised that the growing dull ache in his body had nothing to do with a common virus. He was in heat. If his head was clearer at the moment of this sudden revelation, perhaps the blond would have panicked - after all, knowing his cycle, he had to have at least a couple of weeks more before the inevitable was to come.  
   
“Bloody suppressants,” Naruto fumed weakly, the pillow muffling his helpless complaint to a mostly incoherent mumble. The blond suspected it was one of the nasty side effects that Tsunade warned him about. Still, his body managed to catch him by surprise. It was just way too soon.  
   
He lay motionless for a couple of minutes until he ran out of oxygen, his face being pressed into the pillow. That finally made him move again. The now too sensitive bare skin of his stomach and lower back rubbed against the sheets (he was still wearing the clothes from yesterday - hoodie and jeans - that were all rumpled and hiked up on his limbs), and the omega couldn't hold back a moan, which soon turned into a frustrated groan.  
   
Naruto wasn't too fond of himself at times like this. Not that he hated his body for the uncalled for reactions, but lately he somehow always felt angry after he had to take care of its lowly needs. Perhaps, it hadn’t always been like that, cause when the heats just started (he was sixteen at that time), everything felt so hot and new, that Naruto even liked the thrill of exploration when he first touched himself. Not just his cock or nipples, but also his moist opening, which quickly became a hungry leaking hole where his fingers disappeared with terrifying ease, bringing him a much needed release.  
   
Now that he thought of it, it must have been the books with all those sickeningly perfect alphas who always took such good care of their little omegas in need. Disgusting. It was really disgusting that deep down he knew he craved it too - the gentle but firm touch, the soft words of loving reassurance, preceding the main dish - a wonderfully hot, ram-rod stiff and thick hunk of first class man meat. Naruto screwed his eyes shut and whimpered at the image that was now burning in his mind: a strong toned body of an alpha pressed closely to his, big arms holding him in a loving embrace, then starting to explore the planes of his skin, touching every curve as if trying to map them all in his memory.  
   
The blond’s hands slid up and down his sides, the left one swept across his navel and went to his chest, which was rising and falling in time with the uneven breaths the omega took. The right hand went lower, to the buttons of his jeans, to hurriedly undo them and slip under his underwear.  
   
Meanwhile Naruto pictured his imaginary partner’s lips on his. The alpha’s burning kisses were slowly going down - tracing his jawline and neck that the omega gave better access to by throwing his head back into the pillow. The delicious touches moved lower, past his sharp collarbones, until the hot mouth closed with a hungry wet sound over one of the blond’s quickly hardening nipples.  
   
Naruto’s left hand repeated the movements of the fantasy, as he swiftly dipped the tips of his fingers into his watering mouth, then slid them down to his chest, hitching his hoodie awkwardly out of the way. When he finally managed to manoeuvre the hand under the layer of cloth that was rapidly becoming too warm for his liking, the blond found it too dry already and with an impatient huff jerked his other hand away from his nether regions to quickly discard the unwanted elements of his wardrobe. The fuss could have ruined his mood, was it not for the burning need that now concentrated in his belly and demanded to be satisfied.  
   
The omega, only in his boxers, which were already halfway down his thighs, lay back again and closed his eyes for good measure. If he decided to get off, he'd better do it quickly, until somebody walked in on him (the chances of that were rather slim, but Naruto always felt paranoid when he did this, even in the safety of his own apartment). He settled on picturing Asuma - the alpha was the epitome of manliness after all, and had the kindest warm brown eyes. As his body was rapidly heating up, the omega was completely unbothered by how he would look the very same alpha in the eyes when he would meet him next time at the inn. Right now he was living out his fantasy.  
   
The alpha continued to lick his nipples and roll the hardened nubs with his skilful tongue, while his hands went down, brushing the omega’s sensitive navel that fluttered at the touch, stroking lightly short fair pubic hair and closing firmly on the omega’s hardened length. A few strokes made Naruto moan once, and he bit down on his lower lip to prevent any more loud sounds from escaping him, which was a rather challenging task.  
   
The blond fondled his chest with saliva coated fingers, rubbing and pinching lightly the hard and already reddened nipples, much like he usually did. Only this time the sensations were somehow stronger and each touch sharply resonated within him, threatening to make him go over the edge too early. Naruto sucked in a couple of calming breaths and continued the ministrations with his member, putting his slightly trembling hand on the sack and massaging it with short rotating motions of his palm, imagining the alpha’s confident touch instead.  
   
Then the omega probed at his entrance, and was surprised to find it already leaking, which normally happened only after he started to stretch himself. Naruto didn't stop to think, because a strong wave of heat hit him when he pushed two fingers inside, enjoying the way his tight channel constricted around the intruding digits. He started to move them, first scissoring, then pushing further. When the blond reached what he was searching for, he forgot to hold back his voice and moaned out loud, his back arching off the bed as blinding pleasure attacked his nerves.  
   
The next few minutes Naruto’s completely lost himself in the wonderful sensations and his body seemed to move on autopilot. Never before has a simple self-pleasuring session brought him that much satisfaction. The omega was completely taken by his own fantasy, so much that he could almost feel the moist ragged breaths of the alpha moving in long powerful thrusts above him, could almost touch the taut muscles on his hands and chest, as he was pressing him closer, could almost hear the matching rhythm of their galloping hearts. And when Naruto opened his eyes slightly for a moment, he thought he actually gazed into the eyes of his imagined lover, and that was what threw him over the edge.  
   
It was only when the blond came down from his high and recovered his breath that he realised that the eyes he pictured lovingly catching his own in the moment of bliss were not Asuma’s warm brown, but the burning red ones from his dream.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are liking it so far. This chapter will be intense in a way.
> 
> Warnings: secrets still kept, plotting, detailed descriptions.

At the dining hall, where Naruto went when his body finally cooled down a bit and he heard his stomach grumble for food (somehow during heats the omega was always hungrier than usual once the wave of burning need passed), the blond met Konohamaru. The young alpha blushed while serving him breakfast and hovered over him a little longer than necessary but said nothing otherwise. The blond felt an uneasy suspicion rising, but decided to ignore it in favour of the delicious looking omelette with a generous siding of ham and mushrooms sitting in front of him, begging to be eaten.  
   
The ever present herbal tea in a small blue teapot with white floral pattern adorning its roundish sides was waiting for its turn, a matching cup placed dutifully at its side. Naruto eyed it for a moment - for some reason today the smell was more appealing to him, even though the omega was certain that it was the same brew from yesterday. But before he could contemplate on it any longer, a scrapping of chair opposite him made the blond look up to see Shikamaru getting comfortable at his table.  
   
“Morning,” Naruto said, getting a grumble of greeting in return. The beta looked beat, his face ashen pale, which made the circles under his eyes stand out more, and his clothes - loose dark brown cotton pants and an oversized night sky blue sweatshirt - looked rumpled, dirtied and even torn in places. The brunet didn't even try to pry his eyes open, just crossed his arms in front of him and leaned back as much as the back of the wicker chair let him.  
   
“So... rough night?” though the blond could hardly imagine how a night of playing shogi could affect the beta so much. Unless Shikamaru was playing something else... The omega’s thought trailed, as the brunet yawned and cracking one eye open, answered, “Yeah, you could say so. What about you, Naruto?”  
   
The omega didn't know what startled him more, the sudden realisation that they hadn't been introduced to each other properly (and that Asuma must have talked to Shikamaru about him) that hit him when he heard the beta say his name, or the vague irritation that he heard in the question. True, Naruto didn't look his best either, he didn't comb his hair, which now must have looked like he just rolled out of bed (which wasn't far from the truth anyway), and put on his old but comfortable pair of jeans and a stretched out pale pink t-shirt because he intended to go straight back to his room when he finished his meal. Still, he didn't see how this could have caused the brunet to react like that.  
   
“I... uh, well, I didn't sleep quite well,” Naruto mumbled, but Shikamaru’s half-eyed knowing gaze told him the beta must be in on his current state, which made the omega fidget slightly in his seat. Just to distract himself from the uneasiness that now settled between them, the omega decided to start with his late breakfast.  
   
Soon Konohamaru brought the brunet his own breakfast, and both of them were occupied with their respective meals, Shikamaru beginning with his coffee. At one point, however, a gust of wind came from the garden. It dishevelled the beta’s hair tied in a high ponytail which looked a bit askew, ruffled the sides of the white tablecloth at their table, and hit Naruto in the face. The omega instinctively inhaled deeper to catch the faint but potent scent carried by the strong burst of air. It was now mixed with the smell of coffee from Shikamaru’s steaming cup, but the omega knew it must be coming from the beta. Only it wasn't his scent, it was an alpha’s, and not one he met here for that matter. Naruto blushed, even though he wasn't usually that keen on scenting, he recognised an appealing scent when he caught one. It spoke of a strong alpha, currently without a partner (his scent didn't sit with Shikamaru’s quite right, so they couldn't have been too intimate). And he was nearing his rut, if the blond was to judge by the slight spicy undertones that left a bittersweet taste on his tongue.  
   
The moment Naruto made that discovery, which was highly pleasing to his hormonal omega side, he realised that his mouth was half-open to taste the air better and his eyes were closed in dazed contentment. The blond straightened himself with a jerk, abashed at his uncontrolled reaction, and when his eyes opened to meet the beta’s, the brunet asked, “You alright?”  
   
Strange, but the look Shikamaru gave him told the omega that the man was not surprised by his actions in the slightest. It was almost as if the brunet knew something like this was bound to happen and resigned himself to it like a tired parent would to a cranky child’s antics. Naruto could only give an awkward shrug in response. He decided to pour himself another cup of tea to calm his suddenly quickened heartbeat. Herbal tea was supposed to have a calming effect after all, right?  
   
As the omega sipped on the hot beverage, Shikamaru seemed to be studying something in the garden, his head turned sideways. Naruto thought he must be waiting for Asuma, who came from that direction yesterday, so he casually looked at the expanse of neatly cut greenery with an occasional burst of colour that swayed slightly in the wind. That's why the blond almost got drenched in his tea when a sudden deep voice came from behind his back, “I see you've made friends already.”  
   
“Yeah, pretty much,” said Shikamaru, lazily turning his head and giving the alpha a wave, his palm doing a limp half circle in the air before plopping into his lap, the elbow resting on the armrest. Naruto must have been staring in confusion too obviously, if Asuma felt the need to explain, gesturing to his cargo pants littered with paint stains, “I've been repainting the cellar, the walls there needed it a long time ago.”  
   
“Cool,” the blond looked at the man now standing very close to him, and when their eyes met, Naruto felt a hot blush flood his cheeks, as he remembered what he made Asuma do to him in his imagination not a full hour ago. The alpha, who was obviously far more experienced with omegas in a state similar to Naruto’s at the moment than his nephew, made one deep inhale, which was accompanied by a casual roll of shoulders and a slight shift in stance, that could have been written off as him easing the tension in his muscles after the hard work. But Naruto knew better, yet he was thankful the brunet made no comment and just smiled warmly, even encouragingly at him. Then Asuma turned to Shikamaru, “I’ll be finished in two days, that alright?”  
   
“Two, you say? It might be needed sooner than that.” the beta looked the man towering over them squarely in the eye and slowly moved his gaze to the omega in front of him. The alpha, who was fairly relaxed the whole time, suddenly tensed up. At first the blond thought they were talking about the repairs that the brunet did at the inn, but now he started to suspect it was something else, only he had no idea what it could be.  
   
“Got it. I'll have to hurry up then,” said Asuma with a kind of determination that took the omega by surprise. It was as if somebody’s life depended on what the brunet wanted to achieve.  
   
“Yeah, please do,” Shikamaru answered with a sigh. The alpha nodded and giving a brief salute to Naruto, went back into the inn.  
   
“What was he talking about?” he couldn't help but ask, turning to the beta. The man sighed again, this time more deeply, the air leaving him in a long tired exhale.  
   
“How troublesome...” the beta drawled and looked like he meant it, as he closed his eyes and reclined further into the chair. “It's just some precautions that have to be taken, okay?”  
   
Well, the way he phrased it certainly sounded suspicious to Naruto. He was ready to voice his doubt and ask for a better explanation, perhaps, but was suddenly taken by a surge of heat that seemed to have travelled from his very core to every part of his body, concentrating in the lower belly. The omega gasped and clenched his hand lying on the table top, crumbling the white linen with his fingers. Naruto knew another wave would come, he just didn't think it would happen so early, especially after the morning session. Usually after he satisfied his body’s first urgent cravings, he had at least half a day before the heat made itself known again. This time, however, it took over with a force much stronger than ever before, and the crushing wave of desire filled Naruto to the brim.  
   
He made himself take two slow breaths trying to calm his speeding heart. It didn't work the way the blond wanted though, as he could now distinguish more clearly the alpha scent that he felt earlier coming from Shikamaru.  
   
“Say, what's with those whisker marks of yours?” the brunet asked in a seemingly disinterested tone.  
   
“What-?” Naruto started, almost letting out a moan that was threatening to fall from his lips ever since he felt the fever of lust start to consume him. The blond blinked to get his eyes back in focus and trained them on the man opposite him. Finally his rapidly fogging brain caught up with the question and the omega quickly touched his right cheek. The tips of his fingers brushed the raised tissue of three symmetrical lines that adorned the otherwise smooth surface of his lightly tanned skin. And they were burning.  
   
Now that was something to be seriously concerned about. Naruto had the marks since he was a child, and Kushina always told him he was blessed to have them, as the “whiskers” were proof of him being closer to his animal side than most, like his uncle Kurama was, she said. She used to trace them gently, rubbing his chubby cheeks with her warm fingers and smiling as she called him her little baby fox. To Naruto the lines simply looked like scars, or maybe he learned to think of them that way, as it was often the first thing that kids from playgrounds asked him when he wanted to make friends: where'd you get those scars? It made the omega feel left out and damaged, like a toy that had a visible flaw and that nobody wanted to play with. Others didn't have any visible “proofs” after all, why should he then.  
   
As years went by the blond learned to take the marks for what they were - a part of who he was. He never paid much attention to them and, luckily, those around him didn't either, being polite or simply not giving a damn in general. What's more, the lines have become much fainter than they used to be in his childhood, but Naruto never thought much of it, assuming that it must be the same as it was with scars - they faded with time.  
   
That is why now he sat in his wicker chair in utter shock and confusion. He couldn't believe the lines on his face had become so prominent he could trace them with his fingers and, apparently, much more visible than some hour ago, if Shikamaru was commenting on it. Just what in the name of God was happening to him?  
   
The whole spectre of emotions must have been written all over his face, because the brunet was now standing up, a look of concern transforming his features into a stiff ashen mask. One glance at Shikamaru made Naruto realise he didn't want the beta to see him like that, these unwelcomed transformations that his body was going through was something he had to figure out on his own. The blond instinctively covered his face with one hand and, blindly grasping at the backrest, rapidly pushed himself up and stumbled away from the veranda.  
   
In his haste he almost crashed into a couple of tables and, swaying terribly, reached the stairs. Naruto didn't remember how he managed to climb the four unforgiving flights, get into his room and tug off the clothes that irritated his far too sensitive skin. He got his bearings only when he was half lying on the floor beside the bed, a comforter pooled around him and loosely wrapped around his bare legs.  
   
The blond shivered when he felt a cool chill bite into the skin of his thighs that were in unpleasant contact with the hard floorboards – he had left the window open before he went down to air the room out, which now didn't seem like such a good idea. When the omega finally found enough strength to pull himself up and onto the bed he saw a glistening wet trail that he left on the floor. With an exasperated sigh he decided to ignore it for now and just clean everything up later (especially the bedsheets that he suspected would also soon become soaked in sweat and other fluids). The next few hours passed for Naruto in a blur, the scorching desire driving all thoughts away, leaving only the desperate need to relieve himself from the maddening arousal.  
   
\------  
   
Next thing Naruto knew, or at least could properly comprehend once the overwhelming lust fogging his mind finally cleared a bit, he was lying under a thin comforter in his bedroom, judging by the familiar wardrobe across the room and the sloppily zipped up suitcase that he had left on the chair. The blond shifted slightly under the soft material and realised that the sheets and even the pillowcase had been changed, because they emitted a soft flowery scent that spoke of fresh linen - Naruto remembered it from the day he arrived. That night he was too exhausted to pay it much attention but his memory must have catalogued this small detail and now dutifully provided it for him.  
   
The omega languidly turned his head towards the window. It was still wide open and let in the fresh evening air, that carried the scents of the freshly cut grass in the garden, the wild flowers in the meadow, the cooling water of the lake and the thick woods behind the inn. Naruto looked at the darkening sky, his head pleasantly empty, but then blinked in confusion. The light outside has already grown rather dim, the sun setting at a slow but steady pace, and his side of the inn now stood in deep shadow cast by the building itself and the tall trees at its sides. How on earth then could Naruto see with such clear distinction the intricate carvings adorning the wooden panels of the wardrobe, and the rough synthetic fabric covering the plastic carcass of his suitcase, and the tiny flowers littering the walls, and...  
   
A chill went down the blond’s spine. Now that he thought about it, what he smelled in a single waft of air just now was more than his brain, probably still hazy from sleep and the recent sensory overload, could register. Among the strongest scents of flowers, water and pine trees, Naruto could clearly make out the plastic odour of motor oil from the lawn mower Asuma must have used somewhere in the day, the sulphury scent of burning coals in granny Chiyo’s old furnace in the kitchen, and the stingy scent of vinegar mixed with water that Konohamaru used to clean the hardwood floor this morning.  
   
And it wasn't just that, if Naruto concentrated enough, he could distinguish the old warm scent of granny Chiyo herself, lingering on the porch where her rocking chair stood now unoccupied, the young sharp one of Konohamaru, who must have been working somewhere on the veranda, and a much heavier scent of his uncle, concentrated around the shack Naruto saw on the garden grounds, tucked behind a large bush of dog rose. What made Naruto sit up with a jerk was another scent. It was fainter than others, and that was probably why it took the blond a bit longer to identify it, but when he did, it was impossible to ignore. The scent was the one he smelled on Shikamaru this morning, of a mysterious alpha that Naruto now felt he needed to meet.  
   
It was not a simple wish to get acquainted, but grew from an emotion that lay much deeper, at the very core of Naruto’s nature that he tried to ignore for so long, too long. It suddenly stood all clear before him, the primal desire to submit, to be held in strong arms, to feel forever safe and to melt under a hot body that is his ultimate source of pleasure. A loud whine trembled in the room and it took the blond a moment to realise that it was coming from his mouth. Naruto was panting again and the fine silk of the white gown he was wrapped in felt liquid cold against his rapidly heating skin.  
   
Yet he was still focused enough to cling to that sensation in confusion. What exactly was he wearing? The omega looked down at his body, only half covered by the comforter, which gave him a nice view of the intricately embroidered lapels of a white yukata that were held fast by an equally white belt. Naruto made an effort and with a huff pushed the comforter off himself, rumpling the sheets with the heels of his feet in the process. The jerky movements of his legs made the blond realise one more thing - he wasn't wearing any underwear. Naruto would've blushed, if his face wasn't already bright pink from the heat that was eating at him from the inside. To make things worse, the new garment was fairly short, barely reaching his mid-thigh.  
   
From what Naruto could tell, the gown was very expensive, but what concerned him more was that it looked like it belonged in a museum: a beautiful pattern of birds and flowers decorated the collar and ran along the yukata’s lapels, the soft pearly threads visibly thinned but still bearing some of their initial shine. The white of the long wide sleeves has turned a light shade of grey, and the hems were slightly shabby but still in good condition. It was obvious that somebody took good care of the yukata, and Naruto couldn't understand how he ended up wearing it, especially in his state.  
   
Just as the omega was about to get out of the bed to go seek some answers and a glass of water, perhaps, the door to his room opened and granny Chiyo swiftly walked in. Naruto openly stared as she approached, way too fast for someone her age. Next thing he knew she was gently pushing him back against the pillows and pulling the comforter over his shivering form. Only the blond wasn't feeling cold in the slightest. “No, don't, I don't-,” he weakly tried to protest but was effectively shushed by the old omega, who then went back to the corridor, only to return a couple of moments later with a tray in her hands.  
   
“Don't fuss too much, you need to gather your strength.”  
   
“What's happening to me?” Naruto asked in a small voice, feeling apprehensive all of a sudden.  
   
“What you are going through right now is perfectly normal. Your body just has to adjust after the long time that you've been suppressing your natural instincts.”  
   
The blond struggled to make sense of her words, “You mean it’s the side effects of my suppressants?”  
   
“The pills you've been taking, yes,” Chiyo put the tray on the desk and Naruto heard her pouring out a cup of tea. The bittersweet smell assaulted his senses and the blond scrunched up his nose. “But you also have to let go of the fear to face who you really are,” the old omega said handing him the cup.  
   
Naruto took it gingerly, the hot ceramic almost burning his fingers. The blond was trying not to spill the drink and didn't immediately register what Chiyo was implying. Then he snapped his head in the direction of the inn keeper, a frown marring his features, “What are you trying to say?”  
   
Chiyo sighed, “You really have no idea, don't you?” Naruto only blinked at her, waiting for some sort of explanation. “When I fist saw you, I immediately understood that you were no simple omega, but a blessed one.”  
   
“Wait! What the hell are you talking about?” The blond said in a low growl. “Is it this bullshit about the marks on my cheeks? Because if it is, I don't want to hear any of it!” Naruto huffed irritatedly. He couldn't believe that Chiyo of all people would bring up his appearance.  
   
“Poor child, you have no idea what a generous gift Mother Nature bestowed upon you.”  
   
“I don't really care. Once the stupid heat is over, I'm out of here.”  
   
Naruto held Chiyo’s scrutinising gaze with stubborn determination. He held out the cooling cup for her to take the tea away - God knows he was already sick of it.  
   
“You're in no state to travel right now, and won't be for the week to come, don't be so rash in your decisions,” the old omega said solemnly with an air of someone speaking words of wisdom they learned the hard way. Naruto was ready to stand his ground even half lying on the bed, but his body decided against him.  
   
There it was again, that alpha’s scent, carried into the room by the evening breeze, and it seemed to be stronger now. The moment Naruto caught it, his head became fuzzy and the rebellious spirit that was filling him to the brim simply evaporated, leaving the blond in a daze. He sagged onto the bed, feeling weak and boneless. Granny Chiyo readily took the cup when his grip loosened completely, but didn't put the drink away. Instead the omega carefully bent down and, brushing blond tangled locks from his face, made Naruto drink the strong brew.  
   
At first gulp he almost choked but had no strength in his arms to push the old lady away. But when the cup was half empty Naruto started to feel like heavy weight was lifted off him, and his head was suddenly so light it was like he was floating. The last thing the blond heard before he slipped into unconsciousness was Chiyo’s encouraging “There, there” and a distant howl that rapidly increased in volume until Naruto felt it resonating inside his head. And then there was ringing silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you feel the tension rising? :D Next chapter will be Sasuke's POV.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke finally appears, yay! Enjoy (or sympathise). :3
> 
> Warnings: drama, angst, alpha cycles (aka ruts), shapeshifting.

Sasuke was running, clawed paws tense and strong, cutting into the lush forest floor with each wide stride and leaving deep prints in the soil, still damp from the light shower last night. The thick black fur that covered his body took on a dark blue shine in the silver light of the moon, which looked down upon the evergreen woods with its face almost full. Tomorrow Amaterasu would reign in the skies throughout the day, to give up the throne to her celestial spouse Tsukuyomi in the night. The evening would be the time the two would meet, celebrating their destined reunion and revelling in each other’s presence. And it would be then that Sasuke would loose his sanity completely, giving in to the vicious pull of the beast trapped inside him.

The exceptional occasion was deemed sacred back in the day when Sasuke was a pup. But thinking about it now only brought him painful memories of the times spent on chill rainy days in the warm living room, that smelled of his mother’s cooking and his relatives’ scents combined. The alpha especially couldn’t stand the clarity with which he remembered the way his mother said, brushing the long bangs from his forehead, “Once you grow older, the Strawberry moon will come one summer, and with it bring your mate. And you will be the happiest alpha in the world, for your bond will be forged in heavens and blessed by the Sun and the Moon.” She was so sure of the happiness lying ahead, it pained Sasuke to think what she would have felt had she witnessed his current state.

Even though he still had some control over his instincts, last night proved its fragility and gave him a glimpse of what was bound to happen all too soon. The familiar grounds, where he spent his carefree childhood days and had his first transformation, didn’t help the matters either, for it seemed the nature called to him on a deeper level, inciting Sasuke to follow his baser needs and fogging up his usually sharp and prudent mind.

Ever since that fateful night when he lost everything he held dear in his life, Sasuke tried to suppress the beast, and was successful for the most part. The kind omega from the inn at the foot of the mountains helped him to confine the raging instincts, provoked by the tragic events, and helped him regain his sanity. Her selflessness and motherly care she so generously gave him, truly saved Sasuke, and he couldn’t be more thankful to the kind-hearted lady. The Uchiha still sponsored her small resort business and profited from the herbal concoctions that continued to effectively keep his hormones at bay.

Yet, he never stayed in his homeland for too long. Luckily enough, once Sasuke recovered from the injuries he got away with on the day his whole clan perished, a distant relative of theirs, a half-blood Uchiha Hatake Kakashi, appeared, taking him away from the valley and helping him settle in Konoha. Soon he became the young alpha’s guardian and worked to realise his potential to the full, making sure that the monthly shiftings Sasuke had a particularly hard time controlling in his teenage years wouldn’t affect his health, his studies and his integration into Konoha’s much ‘tamer’ society.

Being an alpha himself (not as strong as the pure-blood Uchihas, of course, but still), Kakashi managed to become a father figure for Sasuke, that he so desperately needed at that moment in life. However, the older man could hardly understand what Sasuke was coming through, especially when his puberty hit its peak. The first rut the alpha had at thirteen was nothing compared to the one that practically crashed his body at nineteen, coinciding with the full moon. He didn’t remember shifting at all, only that it felt as if he were being consumed by fire all night long and nothing, or better yet no one could bring him any form of release. To somehow appease his raging hormones Sasuke went on a real rampage, fleeing to the sparse forest close to the city and killing five hares and three deers in one night. Aggression and adrenalin were his best friends, as the alpha realised with bitter certainty that he wouldn’t be able to mate with any common omega he met, not being the savage monster that he was. Sasuke decided he would rather live all his life in solitude than hurt an innocent gentle creature involuntary in a fevered fit of mind-fogging lust.

With such mindset and his natural stubbornness Sasuke managed to abstain from actual sexual intercourse for the long ten years that he felt the urgent need to copulate every time the moon grew pregnant. His ruts were excruciating and Kakashi tried to make him change his attitude, suggesting that he should look for a trustworthy beta, and take a shot at building at least some form of relationship. Because, of course, the alpha’s lonely ruts were rather taxing on his body, but even more so on his mind, which was crumbling bit by bit every time Sasuke tortured himself with solitude and abstinence.

Now that he was thirty two it seemed the man finally reached his breaking point and this summer proved to be the final nail. Sasuke had officially hit rock bottom in his own eyes, as he almost injured his personal assistant Shikamaru, when the man came to support him like did each night preceding and following his ruts. Ever since Sasuke started living on his own, and that was when Kakashi let him go off to college to study law, the alpha began learning to deal with his problematic states on his own. He managed to do it, and to succeed in his studies, finishing the uni with honours, but paying the price of distancing himself from everybody, betas and omegas especially, since with alphas he naturally went into confrontational mode and won each argument with no exceptions. That was what made him a remarkably skilful lawyer and an unbearably lonely man, until he met Shikamaru. The laid-back genius seemed to have seen right through his numerous walls, that protected Sasuke from nosy people invading his heart and mind and guarded his shameful secret.

At that time Sasuke just started his law carrier and, with Kakashi’s help and a little financial boost, managed to open a small firm, which soon grew exponentially, allowing him to hire more people. Shikamaru was among the first ones, followed by his most trusted colleagues - Karin, Jugo and Suigetsu. Yet it was only Shikamaru who came to know him in and out. For the first time the brunet felt like he had a true friend who would selflessly lend a hand in the moment of need. And Sasuke was right.

It has been five years already since Shikamaru first came to the Fire Country Ridge with Sasuke, to help him through the time the alpha was most vulnerable at. Even though during the month he could will his body to obey and control his shiftings, as soon as the full moon came into reign, Sasuke’s grip on sanity threatened to slip. After the heart-wrecking lonely ruts, that the beast inside him took as a personal failure and lamented in a truly violent manner, usually clawing at the trees and bare rocks higher in the mountains, the alpha needed somebody’s guidance to slowly come back to his human senses. It took him a day or two to start functioning properly again, and Shikamaru saw to everything he might need during this time, be it fresh clothes or bedding, canned food or just a firm shoulder to lean on, as sometimes the man’s body ached so much after the transformation he could barely move around the house.

Sasuke rebuilt the Uchiha mansion as soon as he saved enough money, which wasn’t that hard, seeing how he worked practically day and night, so as to distract himself from the fact that he hardly lived. Reconstructing the house where he was happy once became his permanent fixation and gave him a reason to carry on for several years. It also gave him a good excuse to regularly leave Konoha and spend the days of his unforgiving ruts away from the city and large quantities of potential victims. Because god knew that it was becoming harder and harder for Sasuke to regain human consciousness after the full moons.

Even now, a whole day before the peak of the inevitable lust fever, the alpha barely stayed focused on his human thoughts, as instincts were overpowering the rational part of his mind, making it impossible for the brunet to stop the transformation. His body twisted on its own accord into this despicable form Sasuke hated with all his guts. This time, however, there was one important difference that made the man shiver in delight and tremble in fear at the same time, for three days ago he first sensed the faint scent of an omega who could become his mate.

Sasuke himself arrived with Shikamaru a whole week ahead of the full moon, knowing that this month it would coincide with the summer solstice. It would be the infamous Strawberry moon his mother loved to tell him about, predicting wonderful future for him and the ethereal mate he was destined to find. Frankly, Sasuke didn’t expect much to happen, only, perhaps, an increased level of violence that would cease him once his beastly part realised the promised mate was nowhere to be found. That was why one fresh calm evening, when the alpha was already starting to feel the first waves of heat coarse through his body, the sudden strong pull to the station took Sasuke by surprise. Before he could fully comprehend what he was doing the brunet shifted and sprinted down the mountain to the old wooden building standing in the valley, half hidden by the tall trees. As he was approaching, his heart was thundering in his ears, the sharpened senses screaming the information his fuzzy brain refused to register right away. And then he saw him. The otherworldly creature, at least in the beast’s blood red eyes, was standing at the platform, fumbling with his weighty suitcase, while trying to straighten his light jacket that got rumpled after a long ride.

He breathed in hungrily, opening his strong jaws to let the hot red tongue taste the air. The little heavenly creature was an omega, and a very special one, even though the scent was very faint, there was that special note in it that Sasuke remembered smelling on his mother when he hugged her and buried his nose in her neck, asking to be petted and pampered. For a moment there, following his animalistic side’s reasoning, the alpha believed that he had actually found his true mate and all that was left was to capture the delicate blond and breed him.

In the light of the next day, however, Sasuke harshly chastised himself for letting such sinful thoughts get to him, for he realised his brain must have gone into overdrive because of the approaching rut, trying to convince him that the omega he saw at the station was ready for mating. His scent, however enticing, was still too weak, which made it perfectly clear that Sasuke would most likely be putting the unsuspecting man into a lot of pains if he acted on his dirty desires. When Shikamaru arrived somewhere in the afternoon, the alpha’s fears were confirmed: a blond omega indeed came for a stay at Granny Chiyo’s inn, which meant only one thing - he was in grave danger, for now that Sasuke got a taste of his scent, being in his animal form, there was no guarantee that he would stay clear of him. He had to think of something to prevent the worst from happening.

Upon serious reflection during the day while his brain was more or less cooperating, Sasuke came up with the most logical solution: he would have to be physically restrained. He knew Asuma from the village was a handy man who could make practically anything you asked him to in the shortest possible time, and the alpha decided on a cage. It would be the perfect place for his beastly self on the night of the full moon, as that way he would hopefully have no chance to hurt the little blond in any way. The man looked younger and fairly fragile. Or, perhaps, it was just the alpha’s perspective, which was warped by the intrinsic desire to guard and protect the omega who made his heart beat faster than ever, and his head spin with even the slightest traces of his heavenly scent.

Later that evening Sasuke was waiting for Shikamaru to voice his request and to plan in advance their actions if the worst came to the worst. But when the beta arrived, the man suddenly felt a hot wave of desire surge up within him and wash all sense clear from his head. He didn’t even register the moment he turned, and the next thing he knew, Sasuke was pinning Shikamaru’s body, rigid with shock and, probably fear (the beta’s face was not the most expressive), to the wooden floor in the mansion’s main hall. A moment later the alpha realised that his reaction was triggered by the now familiar scent of the omega his beast already craved. It clung to Shikamaru’s clothes and was still rather faint, but somehow changed its quality a little, making Sasuke want to breathe it in deeper. With a desperate growl, that made the beta underneath him even more tense, the alpha realised that this was the scent of an omega starting a heat. Brilliant.

Sasuke suppressed almost palpable desire to rub against Shikamaru and turn the clothes on him to pieces in hopes of getting more of the heady scent. And when he finally made his large fur covered body move off the stilled beta he saw, to his horror, that he made several tears in Shikamaru’s outfit, and even drew blood in places. Sasuke looked into the betas dark brown eyes to see forgiveness already shining there and couldn’t take it any more. He took off into the thick woods and hunted the easy prey for the rest of the night, making himself dead tired. The alpha was surprised, however, to find his assistant still at the mansion, waiting for his return. Sasuke shifted back and, practically falling to Shikamaru’s feet from exhaustion and remorse, appologised profusely, but the beta cut him off, “It’s the omega, right? You sensed him on me?”

“Yeah,” Sasuke’s voice was terribly hoarse and sounded foreign to his ears. He looked up pitifully at the brunet, his large 6’3’’ frame diminished in his crumbled state, “I don’t want to hurt him, Shikamaru, and I know I will... if we don’t do anything to stop me.”

“What are you implying?” despite being a genius and a quick thinker, Shikamaru often preferred to ask questions first to eliminate misunderstandings.

“I need a cage.”

“Sasuke-,” the look of shock and sympathy was evident on the beta’s face.

“No, listen, I know it’s the only way,” the alpha’s voice deepened, translating the seriousness of his intention, “This time, if I’m not locked up, I will definitely do something I won’t be able to forgive myself for afterwards.” Shikamaru seemed to hesitate a couple of moments, but then nodded in understanding.

“I’ll ask Asuma then.” When he left later in the morning, wearing the clothes Sasuke gave him to replace his ruined garments, Sasuke was determined to stay all day in the mansion. And he did until around twilight.

At first the alpha thought he was hallucinating after yearning for the delicious omega’s scent all day, but then realisation slowly dawned on him, that it was indeed the little blond that he was smelling in the waft of air that came through the half opened window in his spacious bedroom. And just like that the brunet was in a lustful frenzy again. Uncontrollable desire to be closer to the blond made him shift and practically flee the house in search of the heavenly scent and its owner.

It was particularly windy and the traces of the omega scent lead him closer and closer to the inn. At one point the excitement Sasuke felt, as he rapidly approached his long-sought goal, was too much and he let out a loud howl, which pierced the peaceful silence in the valley and the surrounding woods, that steadily grew darker as night fell.

‘He’s close,’ erratic thoughts were beating in the alpha’s head, syncing to his heavily pounding heart. ‘He’ll be mine.’ And he howled again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter they meet! What do you think will happen? Will Sasuke be able to hold back?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter is up, finally lol, sorry for the long wait. I got distracted by two Christmas fics Little Santa and His Elf and its sequel All You Want For Christmas, check them out too if you'd like. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. :3 Happy Holidays!
> 
> Warnings: shapeshifting (partial and full), light injuries, UST.

Naruto was walking up a forest path, the damp soil soft beneath his bare feet. He moved slowly and purposefully, clearly having a goal in mind, even though his foggy brain couldn’t grasp what it was exactly that he so desperately wanted to reach. But Naruto knew he was going in the right direction because of the white paper lanterns with blazing red fans that lined the path and clung to tree trunks like overgrown fireflies. Despite the warm orange light they cast on the forest floor though, the woods around him felt unwelcoming, even hostile, but he knew he had to go deeper and much further up the path.

This strange determination came from within, his heart beating a mile a minute, it seemed, pumping hot blood through his system, and urging him to move faster. Naruto felt like he was burning up and a thin sheen of sweat was covering his body, which was bare to the chill night breeze, save for the light short yukata that barely covered his thighs. But he knew it was supposed to be like that, and at the end of the path he would find his salvation.

Naruto glanced down, at his hands and feet that seemed to be moving on autopilot, and instead of his usual neatly cut nails saw long claws on his hands, while his feet resembled animal paws, as they grew larger in size and got covered in thick orange fur. His brain sent signals of panic and confusion, but they were dulled by the overpowering heat that was consuming his body, making him forget about everything and concentrate on finding release. His vision was as sharp as ever and so was his hearing. That was why, when a twig snapped to his right, he turned his head abruptly in that direction and peered into the dark. A pair of red eyes were trained on him, shining like two burning coals from amongst the trees.

‘He’s here,’ a thought flashed through Naruto’s mind before he could register where it had come from. His body stilled and when he drew in a couple of deep breaths a strong shiver ran down his spine, stopping right at his tail bone and making him let out a soft whine. The scent that invaded his senses was so rich and heady, Naruto immediately realised that it belonged to a powerful alpha who had just entered his rut and was searching for an omega capable of satiating his immense need. And Naruto knew that he had found one - him.

The eyes started to move, slowly approaching the dimly lit path, and soon the large form of a black wolf came into Naruto’s full view. The beast was magnificent, with a strong taut body covered with thick shiny fur, huge paws with sharp deadly claws and a big snout with vicious jaws that could easily snap him in half, if the wolf decided to attack. But Naruto knew he wouldn’t, for he carefully stepped towards him, chest heaving with rapid eager intakes of breath and tongue lolling out to taste the air better. Naruto moved on instinct when he untied the belt of his yukata and pulled it open, reaching his arms towards the alpha in an inviting gesture. The wolf stopped a mere foot from him and peered deep into his eyes, as of asking for permission, and Naruto felt himself nod without breaking the intense eye contact.

The alpha shortened the remaining distance between them and nuzzled into Naruto’s stomach, his cold damp nose tickling the sensitive skin there. He released hot puffs of breath and rubbed his forehead against Naruto’s navel, going lower to the source of the most wonderful intoxicating scent on earth. Naruto shivered at the sudden wave of desire that rose inside him and crushed every sane thought he had, throwing him in the pits of uncontrollable lust and yearning to submit to the strong potent male in front of him. Without the slightest doubt he put his hands onto the wolf’s large head and started to run his fingers through the thick fur, pulling him to his burning body still closer.

The wolf let out a low rumbling growl of pleasure and butted his head against the caressing hands, welcoming the gentle touch. But as he did so, Naruto lost his footing for a moment, stumbling upon a tree root jutting out from the ground. He automatically stepped back, trying to regain his balance, and didn’t notice the dry half broken cone that was lying just beside the root. Sharp pain pierced his foot and he yowled in pain, falling backwards and hitting the ground hard.

The sudden ache tore Naruto from his dream-like state, when he had practically no control over his actions and could only watch as everything seemed to happen of its own accord. It was like a bucket of ice cold water had been poured over him in that moment, and when he blinked his watering eyes open, he noticed, to his immense shock and surprise, that the lanterns were gone, and the path, that had been so clear and stretched upwards like a yellow snake among the black foliage, was now dark and overgrown with roots and shrubs, which made it practically impossible to see where it was supposed to lead. Naruto was panting heavily on the ground from pain and fear that was slowly creeping over him. Where was he? Hadn’t it all been a dream? Why wasn’t he at the inn then? And where was-

Naruto’s panicked thoughts were interrupted by the soft rustling that was getting closer, accompanied by a loud rapid breathing. The omega didn’t want to believe it, and with heart hammering madly in his chest lifted his head, propping himself awkwardly on one elbow. The sight that greeted him came straight from his nightmares. Blazing crimson eyes were staring right into his soul as the wolf, and not an ordinary one but definitely a shapeshifter, was steadily approaching him, looming over his form, helplessly sprawled on the forest floor. Dread was seeping to his very core as he felt the unmistakable scent of arousal wafting off the alpha, which mixed with the matching scent of his own heat, making the alpha’s intentions perfectly clear. Naruto shuddered and tried to crawl back from the wolf.

“N-no,” he heard himself mumble, his voice so small and frightened he barely recognised it. “S-stay back.” He raised his hand in a futile attempt to push the wolf’s snout away, too scared to take heed of the fangs that glistened wetly in the half-opened maw. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, and thus was startled by the hot wet sensation that ran across his palm. Naruto immediately jerked his hand away, realising that the wolf had licked it. He was lowering his head now, pushing his snout close to Naruto’s vulnerable throat, seeking the sweet smell that came in hot enticing waves from the rapidly beating pulse point on his neck. Naruto didn’t dare to make any sudden moves and stared wide-eyed at the wolf’s slow but deliberate actions, one glance down shuttering his last bits of hope for he got a glimpse of the beast’s engorged flushed member hanging freely between the hind legs.

The fear that rushed through him at that discovery made the gears in Naruto’s foggy brain turn with increasing speed, and then it clicked. The wolf who was hungrily sniffing at him now, his large frame trembling with anticipation, was no other than Uchiha Sasuke - the lone survivor of the fire that wiped away his whole family so many years ago. Naruto’s heart clenched. But as the alpha started to settle between his legs, stepping impatiently from one foot to another and growling lightly as he continued to drawn in erratic breaths, nuzzling at Naruto’s neck, the omega panicked.

“Sasuke, stop!” he called desperately. To his astonishment the wolf jerked his head away as if in surprise, and Naruto thought he saw a flicker of sanity in his inhuman red eyes. He decided to try again. “Please, Sasuke, let me go,” he said in a soft voice, trying to get to the man who was no doubt somewhere there behind the dangerous beastly exterior. The wolf froze, and Naruto decided that this moment was his only chance. He swiftly turned and got on his hands and knees, slipping from under the large black body above him. And then he ran.

The direction he took was the one that he saw, in a dream or a hallucination he didn’t know, was going up, for the way down was cut off by Sasuke. The view of the lantern lit path got carved into Naruto’s mind and he bolted through the thick bushes, ignoring the pain in his right foot. Running turned out to be surprisingly easy even through such an unwelcoming terrain, and Naruto suspected it was due to the transformation that his legs had undergone, because he saw the orange fur going almost past his knees when he was lying under Sasuke. But Naruto decided to freak out about it later, when he was a safe distance away from potential danger. He understood that Sasuke didn’t think he would be raping him, but there was simply no way for him to take that monstrous length in and not get ripped. And it was his first time, Naruto didn’t want it to happen in the middle of the dark woods with an alpha who couldn’t even control himself by the looks of it.

When he thought he was already far from the shapeshifter, the blond risked a glance behind his back only to be greeted with the sight of the black wolf running after him in a zigzag pattern. It didn’t look like he was set on catching him, for Naruto was sure it would be easy for the alpha to get to him in several leaps, it seemed he was just playing chase. As if he was sure Naruto himself wanted to be chased and caught in the end. He shuddered on the inside at the thought and absolutely didn’t want to be right. Luckily, he almost reached the clearing that he could make out ahead, and hoped that he would be able to find a hiding spot somewhere there.

Finally he got from under the trees, but in the last moment his injured foot got caught in the cracked stump of a fallen pine and he tumbled down, scrapping his hands hard upon impact. Naruto whimpered from the burning pain and rolled onto his back, trying to catch his breath. Coppery scent of blood flooded his senses, when he brought his hands up to the eye level, and he could guess by the dull pulsing ache that his foot was also bleeding profusely due to the extra strain he had put on it. Still, he needed to keep going. Naruto was just getting ready to heave himself off the ground, when the bushes rustled and Sasuke’s heavy body jumped from the dark, landing mere inches beside him. The omega stifled back a frightened whine and scrambled away from the growling wolf, who was carefully scenting the air and seemed to be put on edge by the smell of blood.

Naruto started to look frantically around him, trying to spot at least some form of shelter, and his eyes fell upon an old wooden shrine, which stood right in the middle of the clearing, all dark and crooked, and practically drowning in the tall grass. Naruto dashed madly to the low building with a sagging roof, hoping that he would be able to squeeze himself in, and the alpha wouldn’t. He almost reached the entrance, which stood wide open with one of the doors falling off the rusty hinges, when Sasuke leaped in front of him, blocking his way. Naruto barely managed to stop in his tracks before he crashed into the furry body. The alpha snarled at him, as if daring him to try and escape. But Naruto was stubborn. Just when Sasuke was ready to pounce and finally have his way with him, Naruto spotted a caved in spot in the stone foundation, and, gathering the last bits of strength, jumped towards it.

Luckily, the hole was enough for him to slip inside, and as he did so, he fell immediately to the hard dirty floor two feet beneath the ground level, hitting his right elbow and hip hard. But Naruto ignored the pain and looked up apprehensively, waiting for the wolf to follow him. And he tried, hitting the wall hard with his heavy frame, but only succeeding to stick in either his head, or the front paws. Naruto shuddered as the next moment the wolf let out a long anguished howl and then started eagerly scratching at the sides of the hole. As he did so, Naruto could hear the stone crumble under the strong claws, which meant that sooner or later he would be able to make an opening big enough for himself, and then Naruto would be done for.

He heavily got to his feet, swaying a bit as his right foot exploded with hot pain the moment he tried to step on it. He needed to find another way out. Almost blindly the omega moved away from where he landed, hoping to find the stairs to the basement and praying that they were still intact. He stretched his hands in front of him so as not to hit his head on anything, but soon his eyes adjusted to the dark and he could make out the vague lines of what must have been a kind of altar once. It looked like a large slab of flat oval stone, positioned in the middle of the room, and the faint scent of oils that tickled Naruto’s sensitive nose confirmed his growing suspicion. ‘This must be where the Uchihas went to during the festival,’ and when the thought formed itself in his mind, Naruto realised that he had unwittingly come right where Sasuke probably wanted him to be.

He rushed past the stone altar, the smell of oils there stronger than anywhere else, and desperately searched for the exist. As it turned out, the stairs that ran along the far end of the left wall led to a closed door that had been blocked by something on the other side and wouldn’t budge, even when Naruto tried hitting it with his shoulder. Everything was in vain, he just got himself cornered in a place he had no chance to escape. Soon Sasuke would get in, and then... Naruto started hyperventilating.

“This can’t be happening,” he whispered desperately to himself, sagging to the ground at the foot of the stairs, and hugging his legs tightly to his body. The stcratching seemed to be getting louder and lumps of damp earth were falling from the hole in the wall, along with the chunks of stone. Naruto waited for Sasuke to jump in any second now, and when his large paws disappeared from view squeezed his eyes shut, preferring not to see what would happen next.

What he didn’t expect, however, was to hear a piercing angry howl and a loud yelp of pain that followed short after it. Naruto got to his feet in a flash, too agitated to stay cowering now. The sounds of fighting intensified as he approached the hole, as well as the scent of another strong alpha, and for a moment he thought that it was some other beast that went against Sasuke for whatever reason, but most probably attracted by his raging omega pheromones. Naruto cursed under his breath, but then made himself think rationally. Sasuke was the only one who could shift his body fully, which meant that whoever fought him right now was still human. And then it dawned on Naruto - the scent of another alpha belonged to Asuma.

He suddenly got so scared for the kind bearded man that he didn’t even register how he had managed to get out of the low basement, only vaguely feeling his scratched palms burning with pain. Naruto needed to stop them before Sasuke hurt Asuma, for he knew that the man didn’t stand a chance against the last Uchiha. He looked over the clearing, quickly spotting the two alphas rolling on the ground some five feet away. He started towards them not thinking about the possible consequences.

“Sasuke!” he screamed, effectively getting the wolf’s attention, and that one moment helped Asuma to land a heavy blow on the side of his head. Sasuke yowled pitifully and fell to the ground. Naruto got to his side just in time to not let his head collide with the hard soil, cushioning it with his thighs. His body simply moved on its own, because he realised that Sasuke hadn’t meant any of this and got hurt enough as it was. From his experience the blond knew how deeply remorseful the alphas who shifted could be after they came to their senses. It was always heartbreaking to watch them recollect what they had done while in the shifted state, and Naruto didn’t want Sasuke to go through even more pain.

“Naruto, are you injured?” Asuma asked hoarsely, still panting from the intense fight.

“I...no, I mean, he didn’t hurt me, I just fell a lot,” it was the truth, even though it sounded like a weak excuse, seeing as he was covered in scratches and his own blood. Strangely enough, the claws disappeared from his hands already, and his legs shifted back as well, which made the wound on his foot glaringly obvious. When he looked up at Asuma, who had four deep gashes on his chest and a sliced brow that leaked blood all over his face, making him squint one eye, while the other studied him intently, Naruto remembered about his state of dress, and hastily tried to close the yukata, now dirty and torn in several places, on his front. Sasuke’s massive head in his lap didn’t let him do it properly, but at least he covered his private parts from the alpha’s view.

“We need to get you out of here,” Asuma concluded grimly, as if blaming himself for the turn of events.

“But what about Sasuke?” Naruto couldn’t help but ask, unconsciously caressing the wolf’s forehead.

“You can’t stay close to him right now, you are-,” the large burly alpha suddenly blushed, which Naruto could make out as the moon came from behind the clouds and was shining upon the clearing.

“I’m in heat, right,” the pain and fear that he had felt in the last hour were sobering enough to let him forget about his state.

“Yes, but what’s more important is that tomorrow is the full moon,” when Asuma said that Naruto automatically glanced up at the sky, detecting the pale white globe, which already looked full enough.

“What’s with the full moon?” Naruto asked, starting a bit when Sasuke suddenly nuzzled at his hand, chasing the omega’s sweet scent even when unconscious.

“If today he listened when you called out to him, tomorrow it will be a lost case,” Asuma rubbed at his face with the hem of his white t-shirt, giving Naruto a wonderful view of his perfectly tan stomach. The blond felt his cheeks heat, but Asuma continued, oblivious to it, “It’s my fault this happened to you at all.”

“What do you mean?” Naruto looked genuinely puzzled.

“If I managed to finish the cage in time, he wouldn’t have chased-”

“Wait, a cage? You can’t be serious!” the omega sounded truly horrified. Just to imagine a shifter being put in a cage like he truly was an animal, made Naruto sick to his stomach. “You have no right to do this to him!”

“You don’t understand, he asked me himself,” Asuma shifted uncomfortably, looking at the wolf whose head Naruto cradled gently to his chest.

“But why?” he refused to understand it, even though he could guess why Sasuke would want to be isolated at a time like this. His strength was truly immense, and it was merely by a stroke of luck that Asuma managed to knock him out.

“He didn’t want to hurt you,” Asuma said reluctantly, not meeting the omega’s astonished gaze, then quickly changed the topic, “Come on, we have to go, my car is parked down the road,” the brunet urged him to let go of Sasuke, which Naruto did as carefully as possible, and helped him to his feet, pointedly not looking while Naruto wrapped himself in the tattered yukata.

“We can’t leave Sasuke here,” Naruto said, determination ringing clear in his voice.

“I’ll drive him to his home once you’re safely back in the inn, the mansion’s higher up in the mountains,” Asuma said as he hauled up the wolf’s heavy form on his shoulders. Once the alpha was sure he wouldn’t slip, he started in the direction opposite from the one Naruto came from.

“Isn’t the road that way?” he asked, confused.

“No, that’s where the old path for processions lies, it hasn’t been used for more than twenty years. How come you know about it?”

As Naruto stared into the dark bushes that were covering the path he had ran along, he said distractedly, “I don’t know,” then his eyes flashed with resolve, “But I’m sure I’ll find it out at the inn, and then you’ll take me to Sasuke.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the day of the solstice and the night of the Strawberry Moon, what do you think is going to happen? :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heey, new chapter at long last. It doesn't cover the night of the full moon though, sorry, that will be only in the next chapter, but I promise to update much sooner, so stay put. Also, Happy New Year! :3

The roar of the engine helped Naruto pretend he didn’t hear a million thoughts racing through his mind as he pressed the wolf’s head to his stomach, cradling it gently in his lap. It turned out Asuma had an old pickup truck which definitely saw better times, and Naruto refused to let Sasuke stay alone in the back, even though Asuma had strapped him with the ropes that were apparently used to fasten timber on regular basis. Splinters were splattered on the metal floor, and they scrapped and bit at Naruto’s bare thighs, but he didn’t care at the moment. His heart was pounding in his chest and his head felt feverish.

‘What the hell am I supposed to do,’ he thought desperately, gripping at the side wall with one hand when the car gave a particularly hard jerk, the other staying secure on the wolf’s black mane. Sasuke lay between his legs, his long muscular legs with large paws barely fitting in the space. Asuma wanted Naruto to sit in the front, but he immediately shot down the offer. For some reason he couldn’t bare to part with the shapeshifter, even though he knew he would have to do it as soon as they arrived. He needed a decent set of clothes, a nice hot shower and all the answers he could get from Chiyo. Naruto was determined to make her finally throw some light on the situation, because so far it had been looking rather unsightly.

Sasuke wanted to put himself in a cage and everybody just went along with it as if it was an everyday practice. Unspeakable. Naruto wouldn’t let it slide, he would do everything in his power to help the Uchiha, he didn’t deserve to be treated like a beast, just because he was a shifter, even if the man himself thought so. Just what kind of life had he been leading up to this moment? Naruto looked down at the wolf’s shut eyes, remembering the light of human consciousness in them when he had called him by his name. Had he been coping with this all alone? Because Naruto couldn’t imagine a mate who would decide to stay away at such a difficult time for the alpha. If he was Sasuke’s mate, he’d never leave his side.

As soon as Naruto’s tired mind caught up with the last thought, his eyes widened in shock and his body tensed up. He couldn’t believe he just wished he was Sasuke’s mate. They hadn’t even talked once! What was this strong pull he felt towards him? Was it just because of his heat, that Chiyo had definitely tampered with, spiking his tea with god knows what, or was it something more?

Naruto was so deep in though he missed the moment when the wolf started to tremble in his arms. And at first the tremor was light, but quickly intensified and Naruto became worried the alpha was having a seizure or something, but just as he was going to call Asuma for help and turned to tap on the dirty window to get his attention, the wolf’s body jerked a couple of times and started to transform right in from of Naruto’s eyes. He didn’t know what to do, as he watched the fur disappearing, revealing milky white skin, under which he could clearly see the bones and muscles shifting, until the form of a wolf turned to that of a man. The large head with a long muzzle that Naruto still held close, cushioning it from the hard jolts of the car on the uneven forest road, became smaller and soon transformed into a pale handsome face, which looked exhausted - cheeks sunken a little and brows furrowed as if in pain. Only the hair stayed the same, thick and pitch black in colour as was the wolf’s fur. It was cropped short on the back, but long, somewhere uneven tresses were framing the man’s face. It looked like he had cut his hair himself, which was ridiculous...if it wasn’t true, of course.

In the weak early morning light Naruto could make out each line and curve of a now smaller body lying before him, which was still fairly big compared to his, and stark naked - the fact Naruto pointedly ignored, not looking further than the man’s waist. Sasuke was tall, judging by his long toned limbs, and strong, if his broad chest and well-defined muscles were anything to go by. Naruto felt himself shiver, and realised to his shame that it wasn’t from the forest chill. He chastised himself, now definitely wasn’t the time to get into a lustful frenzy, he wouldn’t let his body have any of it. A low groan that vibrated against his stomach startled Naruto and when he glanced down he saw Sasuke pressing his face closer to the source of warmth, while his hands twitched upwards but couldn’t go far, still trapped under the fastened ropes. Naruto glared at them as if the binds were his personal offenders and leaned forward to undo them. He managed to get rid only of the two top ropes that held the alpha’s upper body and arm, then he pulled Sasuke closer, trying to make his position more comfortable on the hard dirty floor.

When Sasuke’s hands were free, they automatically went around Naruto’s waist, gripping him desperately as if he knew the omega would leave him soon. Naruto felt his eyes prickle for some reason and had to blink a couple of times until his vision was no longer blurry. He looked up at the sky and the trees floating away as they rode on, slowly but steadily approaching the inn, and tried not to think about anything at all, memorising the feeling of a warm strong body of a beautiful alpha, who needed him and was holding onto him like he was the only thing that kept him afloat in a sea of instincts and madness, threatening to swallow him whole. It almost felt like being loved, or so Naruto guessed.

Suddenly the car halted to a stop, and when Naruto looked around he realised that they must have reached the inn’s back yard. He never had the chance to see the inn from this side, and now studied the territory carefully, his brows furrowing as he took everything in. The yard had a little greenhouse and a small garden around it which was littered with herbs of all kinds. That must be where Chiyo grew all her drugs, the omega thought bitterly and shuddered despite himself. He still couldn’t get rid of the uneasiness he felt since he regained control of his body. The experience ha had in the woods was terrifying, and the fact that he was absolutely helpless, having next to zero control over his body, was the worst of it. And it was all Chiyo’s doing. It seemed that Sasuke felt his agitation, for his embrace became even tighter and he huffed out, sending a hot puff of air over Naruto’s barely covered stomach, as if trying to distract him from the unpleasant thoughts. At least that was the impression Naruto got.

He stroked Sasuke’s hair absent-mindedly, while he watched Asuma hop out from the driver’s seat and head towards the back door.

“Wait for me, I’ll get Chiyo,” he said curtly and disappeared in the wooden building, leaving no room, nor time for objections. Naruto glared at the door where Asuma’s broad back had been not a moment ago, dirty from the damp soil he had rolled in fighting Sasuke. His eyes travelled back to the naked man, briefly wondering how he wasn’t freezing, and noting that his skin was hot to the touch.

“Naruto!” Shikamaru’s call startled the blond, making him jerk his hand away from where it lay, caressing Sasuke’s shoulder, and he immediately felt his cheeks burn with shame, as if he had been caught doing something forbidden. The beta hurried to the pickup truck along the path that seemed to be connecting the garden in the front with the back yard, it was overgrown with shrubs and Shikamaru almost tripped a couple of times, but that didn’t stop him. When he came up to the old vehicle, Naruto could see how ashen and anxious his usually impassive face was.

“I knew this couldn’t be good,” he panted out, critically looking Naruto over until his eyes fell on Sasuke’s prone form. “Is he...”

“Unconscious. Asuma managed to knock him out before he could badly hurt anyone,” Naruto said quickly before Shikamaru could assume something else. The way his sharp brown eyes raked over his body, taking into account all the scrapes and bumps that were visible on his body, told him the beta wasn’t quite convinced about ‘not hurting anyone’ part. And he had yet to see Asuma.

“Did you know about it?” Naruto glanced at Sasuke before looking Shikamaru straight in the eye to make it clear as to what exactly he wanted to know. The brunet sighed tiredly and ran one hand over his face.

“Yeah,” he finally answered, “For quite a while already, but...” he paused, it was obvious the words didn’t come easy to him. “It’s never been this bad, you know.”

“Did he always put himself in a cage?” Naruto needed to know, even though he felt his heart clench in uneasiness at the thought that it might be true. But Shikamaru’s affronted look calmed his heavily beating heart a little.

“God no,” Shikamaru looked to the side then, “I know I should’ve talked him out of it, but he was desperate and I didn’t know what to do,” he looked so torn Naruto couldn’t make himself reproach him at the moment, and oh how he wanted to.

Naruto opened his mouth to ask Shikamaru about Sasuke more, but was interrupted by a loud bang of the the back door that flew open, revealing a worried and a bit dishevelled Chiyo, who came running towards the car as soon as she spotted it. All the way from the little porch to the old pickup that she covered at record speed for her age Naruto was fixing her with an accusing glare. As far as he was concerned, all that happened was entirely her fault.

“I see something went wrong,” were her first words, and they almost made Naruto sputter in indignation. A concerned frown came upon the old omega’s face at the sight that greeted her – Naruto’s battered appearance spoke volumes and Sasuke’s slumped bare body didn’t make it any better.

“Something,” Naruto didn’t bother to keep sarcasm out of his voice. “How about everything! And what did you expect after drugging me like that? That we would mate happily or something? Right there on the forest floor?” he felt his blood starting to boil and hot waves of anger rocked his body as he spoke, the volume raising with every word.

Surprisingly, Chiyo put up her hands in a placating gesture while Shikamaru visibly tensed at her side. “You need to calm down, Naruto, please, breath,” she told him.

“No! First you listen, you old-” Naruto thrust an accusing finger in her direction, and it was then that he noticed how his hand and a whole forearm up to his elbow became covered with bright orange fur. He gasped. “Wh-what the hell,” he breathed out, shocked out of his rage.

“That’s just your body’s natural reaction to stress, you really do have trouble taking your instincts for what they are, and as you struggle to accept your urges, your body reacts as if it were being threatened,” Chiyo sighed sadly, but her words didn’t clarify anything one bit.

“And now I’m shifting? Like Sasuke?” Naruto seriously started to fear it might be the case.

“No, silly, he’s a born shifter, it comes natural to him, and in your case it’s more due to strong emotions, but I must say not everyone is as blessed as you are.”

“Cut it already with this ‘blessed’ bullshit, it never happened to me before I came here and had your stupid tea,” Naruto still fumed, but the sight of fur on his arms made him take himself under control, trying to will the changes away. He could only imagine what had become of his face, and judging by the burning he felt on his cheeks and Shikamaru’s amazed gaze trained on him, he was quite a spectacle.

“Oh please, you’ve lived your whole life on those wretched suppressants that get to your very core and dissolve what makes up your true being, until nothing is left behind, and the fact that your body rejected them to the point where you felt sick only proves that you were not supposed to be taking them from the very beginning,” she glanced at the way Naruto’s hand lay protectively over Sasuke’s head. “I see you still managed to find each other and bond despite some minor complications.”

“What! N-no, it’s not what it-” then it dawned on him. “So that’s what you were hoping for, wasn’t it,” he all but hissed at Chiyo, who seemed unperturbed, “Instead of trying to help him you decided it would be wonderful to find him a little unsuspecting bride!”

“Naruto, you don’t understand-” she started but at that moment Asuma came back from the house, wearing a new shirt, which was starting to get soaked with blood on his chest where the cuts were, and carrying a heap of clothes.

“You should be ashamed of yourself,” Naruto spat out and refused to look at her, fixing his eyes on Asuma instead. The man looked highly uncomfortable, probably sensing he had walked on a particularly unpleasant exchange.

“I brought some clothes for you and Sasuke,” he passed the mismatched garments to the blond, averting his gaze when the yukata opened at his chest, revealing the omega’s flushed perky nipples. Even though the morning was chilly Naruto still could feel the heat simmering inside, as well as sense the light interest Asuma involuntary had for him in his current state. Curiously enough, he himself didn’t have a matching interest in the man whom he found so handsome and sexually appealing only a couple of days ago. Naruto suspected it had to do with the alpha he currently had practically wrapped around his waist. It amazed him how the man stayed unconscious all this time but never lessened his hold on him. Right now, however, he had to get free to be able to put something on himself and Sasuke as well. He might be a shifter but when he was a man he simply couldn’t stay naked all the time.

“Sorry, you have to let me go now,” Naruto said softly, tentatively trying to pry Sasuke’s arms open so that he could slip out. To his surprise, his feeble attempts were met with a low growl. This couldn’t be real, Sasuke wasn’t a wolf any more, at least for the moment.

“Alphas are very territorial when the mating bond is still new, he senses the presence of another male and doesn’t want you to leave,” Chiyo commented serenely, as if the sight was endearing and she couldn’t hold back her appreciation. Naruto only glared at her silently.

“Asuma, would you please come with me into the house, I’ll tend to your wounds,” she said with a chuckle and went back to the inn, Asuma following her without a moment’s hesitation. When they were almost at the door Naruto caught her saying to the tall man, “You know he didn’t mean it,” and Asuma’s soft, “It’s okay,” in reply. Hopefully, that meant Asuma wouldn’t press charges, because shifters’ cases always got ugly when someone got hurt, even if it happened by accident, and Naruto didn’t want Sasuke to get into even more trouble.

“Do you want me to leave too?” Shikamaru asked carefully, and Naruto sighed.

“No, I think I could use some help,” he tried to get out of Sasuke’s hold again, and, thankfully, this time he succeeded in pushing the alpha up a bit, so that he could scramble to his knees and a bit to the side. He was careful not to let Sasuke fall immediately to the hard dirty floor. Shikamaru dutifully gave him an oversized shirt to spread underneath him. Naruto managed to flip Sasuke on his back and lowered him down, sinking beside him when he was done. He avoided looking at Shikamaru when he hastily took off the torn remains of the yukata and slipped into an oversized plaid shirt that smelled like paint and had a hole on one elbow. As Naruto was gingerly pulling on the dusty trousers, trying not to worry his aching foot too much, he noticed Sasuke stir a little but didn’t pay much attention to it, hurrying to cover his body. That’s why when a large warm hand suddenly grasped his he almost yelped. Naruto looked down and his eyes met with half-opened black ones, that were searching his face in dazed wonder. The blond took a deep breath to calm down his nerves and, licking his lips, bent down.

“Hey,” he said, feeling stupid but making himself continue, “You’ll be okay now, everything will be fine,” he didn’t know why he was consoling the alpha, but something told him it was exactly what the man needed at the moment. Sasuke seemed lost and vulnerable and Naruto quickly looked away, unable to hold the penetrating dark gaze any longer. As his eyes went along Sasuke’s naked form he got a glimpse of his bare manhood before squeezing his eyes shut and snatching a large t-shirt, that lay crumpled by his feet, to put it atop Sasuke’s nether regions. Gosh, it was so embarrassing.

“I...,” Sasuke’s voice was low and raspy and he had to swallow a couple of times before trying to speak again, “Did I hurt you?” he sounded so broken, Naruto couldn’t comprehend the question for a moment. He peered into Sasuke’s sad eyes again, feeling as if he was being sucked into his hurting soul. While Naruto was lost in his thoughts, the alpha turned his much smaller hand in his, studying the angry red scrapes on his palm. When Sasuke’s thumb ran over the marks lightly, Naruto winced despite himself and sucked in a breath. Sasuke immediately let go.

“Sorry,” the voice caught in his throat, and Naruto saw him clench his fists hard, undoubtedly hurting his own palms in the process. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not-” Naruto wanted to say it wasn’t his fault, but he doubted the man would believe him now, still, he tried to reassure him as much as he could, “I’m just clumsy, you know, you didn’t do anything to me, and it doesn’t really hurt that much,” when Sasuke’s frown deepened, Naruto cursed himself for being so awkward at a moment like this. Usually he did much better when it came to comforting people. But he wasn’t going to give up.

“I’m Naruto, by the way, Uzumaki Naruto,” he looked at Sasuke hopefully, trying to get his mind off what seemed to be a thorough self-loathing session. Sasuke focused on his face again, earning himself an encouraging little smile from the blond.

“Uchiha Sasuke,” he said so quietly, Naruto would’ve had to ask him repeat his name, if he hadn’t known it already. His smile grew wider.

“It’s a pity we meet like this, but I’m still glad to meet you,” Naruto tried to joke, but his words produced quite the opposite effect, as Sasuke apparently realised he was lying naked in front of an unmated omega. He jerked into a sitting position, groaning a bit at the strain the movement put on his ribs. They felt sore, and even though Sasuke’s memory of last night was still hazy, he guessed it had something to do with Asuma, and the man could hit hard when the need arose.

“Hey, Sasuke, man, don’t rush,” Shikamaru chose that moment to step in and Naruto was grateful to him for that. The beta got in the back of the truck, helping Sasuke to get dressed, while Naruto pointedly looked away. When Shikamaru finished he opened the tailgate and got out first, then offered Sasuke a hand, which the alpha ignored. He turned to Naruto, still seated on the hard dirty floor.

“You’re injured, I can smell the blood,” he said it so gravely, Naruto felt uneasy. The alpha was clearly still blaming himself.

“Yeah, I...” he didn’t know what to say, ‘I hurt myself while I ran from you’? That sounded awful even in his mind.

“Will you let me help you?” Sasuke asked timidly, as if he was ready to hear ‘no’.

“That’d be great, yeah,” Naruto heard himself saying, and before he could push himself up to a more or less standing position, he felt Sasuke’s arms go under his knees and on his lower back, picking him up bridal style as if he weighed nothing. “Whoa! You don’t need to-” but then Naruto noticed how Sasuke’s jaws tensed at his words, and decided to keep his mouth shut. He awkwardly put his arms around Sasuke’s neck and tried not to fidget too much, as the alpha carried him out of the car and into the inn. When they entered the building, Sasuke went upstairs and headed straight to Naruto’s room.

“How do you know where I live?” the omega looked at his face searchingly.

“I can smell you there the most,” Sasuke blushed for some reason, and Naruto realised he must be referring to his heat.

“Right,” he managed to say, suddenly feeling his cheeks grow warm as well.

When Sasuke gently lowered him on the bed, Naruto could study his face more closely and under a better lighting than in the back yard. The pale skin that looked so smooth it seemed porcelain in fact had tiny lines forming around his eyes and at the crease between the dark brows, probably from too much scowling. The crows feet were still rather faint but they were already there, and the hard line of Sasuke’s pale mouth gave him an appearance of a stoic man in his late thirties. Naruto knew it would be too rude to ask him directly about his age, but from what he could tell Sasuke must be around ten years older than him. Not that it took away from his good looks. Then again, that was none of Naruto’s concern.

“I’ll go get Chiyo, you need medical attention,” Sasuke said, stepping away from the bed, and Naruto refused to admit that he already missed his strong scent, which had a weird calming effect on him and made him want to stay close to its source as long as possible. That’s why he couldn’t stop himself from calling out to Sasuke’s retreating back when he was almost at the door.

“Asuma told me about the cage,” the moment the words left his mouth Naruto saw Sasuke freeze in his step. Naruto knew he had his undivided attention now so he hurried to go on, “You know you don’t have to do it, and nobody has the right to make you. You’re a person and not some animal, and I wouldn’t allow something so horrible and disgraceful happen to you because...” he paused, desperately looking for a plausible excuse aside from ‘I feel a desperate need to protect you’, “Because I’m a social worker, even if I’m on vacation,” that sounded fake even to his own ears, he could only imagine how Sasuke took it, but when he turned his head, not quite looking back but making sure Naruto caught his words, his intonation was dead serious.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he grasped the door handle with more force than needed. “That’s the only way for me now,” his voice trembled a little at the end.

“I won’t let you go through it alone,” Naruto didn’t know what he was talking about any more, the only thing that was on his mind was that he didn’t want Sasuke to walk out of the room, as if when he would they would never see each other again.

Sasuke’s back stiffened, and his still form looked like he was waiting for a blow any second now. The sight was truly disheartening. The alpha stayed like this for a couple of moments, then made a sharp intake of breath and left without a word.

Naruto started at the closed door in a kind of trance, hoping for it to open and reveal Sasuke’s tall frame, this time facing him. But when it did the one who entered only made Naruto cringe in clear distaste.

“I see you’ve calmed down a good deal,” Chiyo, who was carrying a tray with her customary tea and also some little vials and a large roll of bandages, commented on his appearance. Indeed, Naruto was no longer sporting orange fur on his limbs and was thankful for that, but that didn’t mean he wanted to discuss it, especially with her. The blond stayed silent while Chiyo worked on his foot and hands, cleaning the wounds, smearing them with a healing balm that smelled disgustingly but took away the unpleasant stinging almost at once. She also applied it to his right elbow and hip he had hit hard when he fell into the old shrine.

“You may give me the silent treatment, but that doesn’t change the fact that you and Sasuke are meant for each other,” Chiyo’s nonchalant words finally drew a verbal reaction from Naruto.

“Would you stop! There’s nothing between me and Sasuke. I mean, we barely talked and-”

“And you feel this inexplicable pull towards him, right,” that didn’t even sound like a question, but Naruto was too taken aback to argue.

“How do you know?”

“Haven’t you heard that the Strawberry Moon helps true mates to meet and become one, like they’re destined to?”

“That’s just a pretty tale to-”

“It may sound overly sentimental, yes, but it’s true, that’s the way things have been for many centuries here, and that’s how they’re supposed to be,” the old omega looked at Naruto wistfully, and cupped his cheek in a motherly gesture the blond simply couldn’t make himself shake off, “I know that you’re just what little Sasuke needed all his life, and it’s been a really tough one, trust me. And you too, aren’t you craving a good and loyal mate who will cherish and support you no matter what?”

Chiyo’s words touched the deepest strings of Naruto’s soul. He knew she was right, could feel it with his heart, but to give in to temptation and forget his duty seemed way too rash and naive. Naruto knew he could help Sasuke and to do it he needed to be with him when the man shifted again. So he decided to act, relying on logic rather than his strong but very confusing feelings.

“I don’t know anything about true mates and all that magical stuff that’s supposed to be happening here, but I won’t let Sasuke suffer alone this night, believe it!”

Naruto didn’t like the way Chiyo smiled approvingly at his passionate words before she went out of the room, but decided to ignore it, as well as the pot of that insufferable tea she had deliberately left on the desk. As if he would ever want to drink another drop of that hellish brew. He needed his head to be as clear as possible when he came to supervise Sasuke’s condition. Sasuke was now his self-proclaimed responsibility and he would make sure the man wouldn’t hurt himself while in his shifted state this night whatever it took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Sasuke and Naruto finally talk. Next time they're going to do much more. ;)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, new chapter is up! In fact, when I was writing it, it got kinda long, so I decided to divide it into two parts. The first one is this, and the next one I'm going to post really soon. Anyway, hope you'll enjoy it!
> 
> Warnings: shapeshifting, some violence and drama.

Naruto rummaged through his suitcase, fishing out the most comfortable clothes he had packed that he wouldn't feel sorry about if he happened to destroy them. He came out with an old pair of jeans and a light blue pullover. Naruto knew the nights here could become really chill but he still felt like he was slowly being consumed by fire that burned in his lower stomach and washed over his body in waves, so he didn't worry about getting cold.

When he heard the truck rattle back into the forest, and Naruto immediately caught the roar of the engine in the quiet of the morning, he headed to the bathroom to take a shower and wash off all the horrors of the previous night. The new day promised to be a particularly nice one, for the sky was clear and the sun already bestowed its warm gentle rays on the sleepy valley, waking up the small birds and other creatures that lived in the woods and filled the air with joyful chirping, cricketing and rusting. Naruto didn't share the light mood that seemed to have taken reign outside. He was feeling resolute and tried to act accordingly.

That's why, when he got into the shower and realised that the bandages were in the way, Naruto took them off, preparing himself for the stinging pain that was to follow, but to his surprise, it never came. The omega studied his hands for any sign of the scrapes that had been there not half an hour ago, but found them already closed and fainting, as if they had been healing for a couple of days. That was impossible, Naruto thought, amazed, and hurried to uncover his foot. There the wound was more deep and the mark more obvious, but still much better already. If that was what Chiyo's herbs could do then he was ready to take some of his words back.

'Maybe...' Naruto even paused in scrubbing himself with a lathered sponge, 'Maybe she'll give me something that would neutralise the effect my scent has on Sasuke, and then I'll be able to stay close to him without loosing my mind,' the thought gave him a new flicker of hope. He just needed to ask her kindly, surely she would understand that was the best solution.

As soon as he got out of the shower, Naruto hastily pulled on his clothes, forgoing the bandages, and hurried downstairs. He found Chiyo in her rocking chair on the front porch seemingly not shaken at all by the earlier events. Scoffing inwardly Naruto explained to her what he wanted, but the old omega's reply was quick and highly unsatisfying for the blond.

"There's nothing I can do in your current state," Chiyo sounded as stubborn as she looked, having crossed her arms on her chest, as if literally showing Naruto she wasn't going to move a finger to help him. But he wasn't ready to give up.

"I don't believe it! Your herbs did wonders to my hands and foot, there must be something that could-"

"You know that suppressants are Tsunade's speciality, not mine, so you can forget about it. Besides, your body just started recovering from the harm you had inflicted on it, and the fast healing is your own doing more than mine," she glanced at his bare hands and back at his face flushed from the persisting heat and growing annoyance.

"But here must be something you can do," Naruto looked her searchingly in the eyes. "Come on, Granny, I have to help Sasuke but I can't when I'm like this," he decided to try a more gentle approach, hoping that he would be able to convince Chiyo if he appealed to her conscience.

"Why are you so sure?" apparently, that didn't work. "You might not realise it at the moment, but you can do more to help him right now than anyone ever would."

Naruto didn't like the sound of it at all, but sensed that he wouldn't get anything else from the headstrong lady so he dropped his futile attempts to make her see reason and stomped off into the inn.

In the next hour or so Naruto just stayed on the veranda, moodily staring at the neatly cut bushes in the garden. His body was feeling hot and uncomfortable no matter how many times he shifted in his wicker chair. But what was more disturbing still was the growing longing he felt for a particular presence. At first it was a vague feeling, like something was missing, but soon Naruto understood what exactly was lacking and it made him very pissed with himself. He had to stay objective in a situation like this, and go to the Uchiha manor because he needed to make sure Sasuke wasn't putting himself in a potentially harmful confinement, and not because he wanted to see him.

"G-good morning, big brother Naruto!" Konohamaru's voice startled Naruto out of his thoughts, and he sharply turned his head in its direction. The young alpha looked flushed and nervous, and that reminded Naruto of his heat once again.

"Yeah, morning," he said grumpily, probably making Konohamaru even more ill-at-ease but not quite caring at the moment.

"I...uh, would you like some breakfast?" he offered uncertainly, and Naruto felt bad. The boy had nothing to do with the whole mess he had put himself into, he shouldn't be rude to him just out of spite.

"Sorry, Konohamaru, I'm just... feeling out of sorts you know," Naruto rubber the back of his head and offered the boy a tired smile.

"It's okay, don't worry, I get it. Moegi can be grumpy too, but she doesn't mean it," Konohamaru blushed a little more, feeling he was saying too much, cleared his throat and continued, "I'll bring you some fresh fruits with cream and tea, how about that?" at the mention of tea Naruto cringed a bit.

"Just water will be fine," he said, and Konohamaru hurried off after nodding enthusiastically.

Shikamaru was nowhere in sight and Naruto suspected he had gone with Asuma and Sasuke. 'That's right, he said he was Sasuke's assistant,' the thought lingered in Naruto's brain and soon transformed into something much more ugly. 'Just what kind of assistance can he offer him now, when all Sasuke wants is...' Naruto frowned. How did he know what Sasuke really wanted? If he really needed him by his side? Would it be wise to go to him nonetheless? These questions he could not answer with complete certainty, but they kept swarming in his head and made him recall Sasuke's sad eyes and his possessive embrace.

He ate the breakfast absent-mindedly, not really tasting the food, just chewing and swallowing on instinct. Soon after he was finished and was slowly sipping his water, still deep in thought, he heard Asuma's pickup approaching and the sound set him into action. Naruto quickly walked through the inn, reaching the back door in a couple of minutes, and when he stepped into the back yard Asuma just killed the engine. The first to come out of the car was Shikamaru though. His presence made Naruto somewhat calmer, but he refused to think of the reason why.

"Hey," the beta greeted him, looking more exhausted than ever and rather glum.

"You look beat," Naruto commented, glancing at Asuma, who climbed out of the car next.

"Yeah, I feel it," he sighed.

"How's Sasuke?" Naruto couldn't help but ask. He didn't like Asuma's grave expression.

"I couldn't talk him out of... you know," Shikamaru said, clearly uncomfortable, and guiltily looked to the side. "And he wanted me to leave in case something went wrong."

"I don't think you should come, Naruto," Asuma crossed his muscled arms on his chest, which definitely looked more impressive than when Chiyo did it, but still wasn't enough to waver Naruto's determination.

"Wait, you want to go there?" Shikamaru asked, baffled.

"Yes, and I will," Naruto tried to sound authoritative but the words came out sounding rather desperate instead. Shikamaru was agitated now.

"I don't think you understand, but it can be very dangerous, especially for you, Sasuke is-"

"He doesn't deserve to be left alone to suffer," Naruto interrupted, staring both men in the eye to get his point across. Shikamaru looked like he was ready to say something else but Asuma stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'll take you to the mansion," he said. Naruto thought he noticed a flicker of admiration in his dark brown eyes, but didn't know whether it was caused by his words or his pheromones, though he hoped it was the former.

"But that's-," the beta tried to object, but Asuma cut him off.

"Shikamaru, I'll stay there too, it'll be alright," they shared a long meaningful stare, after which the alpha turned to the truck and waved at Naruto to go sit in the front,l. The blond hurried to do just that in case Asuma suddenly changed his mind.

When the alpha started the engine Naruto could see Shikamaru's tense form in the rear view window, a deep concerned frown never leaving his face.

"I know you won't like it, but I need to get something from my workshop in the village," Naruto pursed his lips and nodded stiffly. He knew Asuma referred to the cage, but decided to talk about it with Sasuke himself when they would be face to face. Who knew, perhaps, he would be able to convince the man such drastic measures were unnecessary after all.

\- - -

The mansion was looming ahead among the trees, a dark two-storey building that was way too big for one person, Naruto concluded as he ran his eyes over the wooden panels that looked like they were being taken good care of and didn't know the harsh touch of time, which was probably true because the whole place had been rebuilt not so long ago. When Naruto remembered the reason though, the mansion's ageless appearance became even more unsightly and unwelcoming.

'How can Sasuke bear staying here all by himself,' he mused, studying the sturdy-looking iron fence that ran around the Uchiha grounds, going deep into the woods on both sides of the tall house and out of sight. The way the mansion was closed off from the rest of the territory was somehow unsettling, as if Sasuke caged his own house the way he wanted to cage himself, or maybe it was just Naruto's over-active imagination running wild because of Chiyo's words and his own compassionate nature. Either way, Naruto knew he wouldn't want to spend much time in this place, but he would have to gather all is will if he wanted to help Sasuke.

"I'll drive up to the barn but you can go into the house. Sasuke must be there now," Asuma avoided looking at Naruto as he spoke, and the omega wondered what the reason was but decided not to question him. His throat felt too dry all of a sudden and instead of saying something in return he nodded jerkily and undid the seatbelt with slightly trembling fingers as soon as the truck was in the front yard, Asuma having opened the heavy gate quickly and efficiently for them to drive inside. When Naruto was out of the car Asuma drove on to what he assumed was where the barn was. The truck disappeared around the corner, and Naruto marched up the front porch, trying to compensate his lack of confidence with assertive posture and gait.

"Come on, you can do this," the blond muttered to himself, clenching his sweating hands into shaking fists, raising one to knock on the door, but deciding against it in the last moment. Naruto just couldn't reign in his nerves and his body wasn't helping much, as it was suddenly consumed by one of the heat waves that rendered it boneless and absolutely uncooperative.

"This is ridiculous," Naruto squeezed his eyes, trying to calm down his raging hormones. Now was the time to get a hold of himself and not give in to his lowest urges. Never mind Sasuke's scent that he could finally feel again with wonderful clarity, for here it was much stronger and concentrated. It was so good it made Naruto's insides sing with satisfaction and an unknown feeling which consumed him little by little, but which he still tried to fight with all his might.

"It is," a sudden voice to his right startled Naruto so much he jumped a little and quickly turned. Sasuke's stern gaze bore right into his wide open blue eyes. "You can't be here, go back to the inn this instant."

"I won't," Naruto said, cursing his voice for shaking at the end a little. He tried again, "I won't until I know you're not locking yourself up tonight," his words had a strong effect on Sasuke because the alpha, who had been some five feet away just a second ago, was right in front of Naruto, and clearly on edge.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into, you're the reason I'm doing this, don't you understand!" he sounded really broken, and Naruto couldn't help but reach towards his anguished face and touch it reassuringly, as if he had the whole situation under perfect control and could offer Sasuke the comfort he obviously needed. In reality, however, Naruto felt a wild storm of emotions and feelings rushing inside him, as well as some very troubling questions. Like, what Sasuke meant when he said Naruto was the reason he wanted to torture himself like that. But it was as if his body had a mind of its own and acted of its own accord when he stepped closer to the distressed alpha and started talking in an intimate whisper.

"I know what you're going through, but it doesn't have to be like this. I told you I wanted to help and I will. You've suffered so much in your life, I can't leave you endure this on your own as well," the words just came to him, and they seemed to work. Sasuke's tense shoulders relaxed somewhat and his hard impenetrable eyes softened, giving Naruto a glimpse of the lonely suffering soul he had been hiding for god knows how long. Naruto knew he was doing the right thing and was determined to make Sasuke truly believe in him. "Please, Sasuke, let me help you."

As Naruto spoke, his hand remained on Sasuke's cheek, tan fingers caressing it lightly and making the alpha lean into the tender touch. He seemed to be in a kind of trance, letting Naruto's words sink in and give life to a weak sliver of hope. Naruto could see him battling with his desire to finally have someone by his side and his life-long fears and insecurities and acted on impulse, hugging the taller man as tightly as he could, pressing himself into the strong taut body and hearing how madly Sasuke's heart was beating in his chest.

When a hand landed on his lower back, uncertainly pulling him still closer, Naruto let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding as he waited for Sasuke's reaction. The alpha leaned down, his chin brushing the top of Naruto's head, then went lower, rubbing the side of his face against the blond locks until he nuzzled at the spot behind Naruto's right ear. Sasuke took in a couple of deep breaths, taking in the omega's scent that had a wonderfully soothing effect on his system. Naruto sensed that and didn't do anything to stop him, nor pulled away from the embrace which now became much tighter than it was at the beginning. Soon enough, however, the falling and rising of Sasuke's chest grew more rapid and each time he exhaled his hot breath tickled Naruto's sensitive ear, sending small shivers all over his body. Things were definitely getting more heated with each passing second, and Naruto didn't know how to feel about it, so for the moment he allowed himself to revel in the pleasant feeling of being held so tightly he could imagine them becoming one.

Naruto closed his eyes, listening to Sasuke's erratic breath and counting the rapid pounding of his heart. His own hearing was as sharp as ever, as well as his sense of smell, and he enjoyed the closeness on the level he never knew would be available for him. It was as if they were meant to be like this from the start, and Naruto just came to realise it. Sasuke was the mate he had always wanted and never thought he would find, and the fact that the alpha was still alone meant that the same was true for him.

Suddenly, the warmth and the compelling scent that surrounded him disappeared. Naruto blinked, clearing his somewhat clouded vision and focusing on the man in front of him. Sasuke looked like he had run a mile, face flushed, brow covered with sweat and chest heaving. He was frowning.

"You can't stay close to me, I-" he gulped, glancing away, "I don't want to hurt you again, and soon I won't be able to control myself, you must go until it's too late," the way Sasuke said it made it clear that he considered the conversation over, but Naruto didn't agree.

"You won't hurt me, I promise, and," Naruto didn't want for it to come to this, but apparently there was no other way to convince Sasuke, "If you want to stay in a cage, fine! But I won't go anywhere. I'll stay right by your side because you need it, and don't you try to deny it," he looked at Sasuke as sternly as he could manage, cursing himself for the blush that was glowing bright on his face, "Isolating yourself from everyone is not always the answer," he added in a hushed tone, watching Sasuke's face carefully, fearing to find it closed off once again, but what he saw made him hopeful.

"Alright," Sasuke said, and even though he didn't show it, Naruto could tell by his eyes the man was glad he didn't agree to leave after all. He opened the front door and beckoned Naruto to go inside. When the blond entered, he heard Sasuke mutter under his breath, "What am I doing," and chuckled lightly to himself. The alpha might be sceptical about his decision, but Naruto was sure they would get along just fine and become good friends in the end. Somehow, once the haze of the heat cleared from his head, it was easier to pretend he never thought about him and Sasuke becoming something more.

\- - -

They spent the remaining hours before dark in the kitchen, talking about everything and nothing in particular. At first the older man was not very enthusiastic, and answered mostly with one-word sentences, but gradually he warmed up to Naruto and started talking more openly, which the blond believed was thanks to his natural charm. As they exchanged random bits and pieces of information about each other, Naruto found it easier to ignore the sounds of Asuma putting together the cage. The rattling was highly unsettling, but there was nothing he could do about it anyway. He couldn't help thinking what could have happened had he and Sasuke met under different circumstances. Then again, maybe they wouldn't have met at all. The thought made him sad.

Naruto didn't realise the silence had settled between them until he heard the floorboard creak a mere foot away from him. He snapped his head up to see Sasuke standing very close, considering how he made sure to stay at the farthest end of the room the entire time they had been there. He stood by the window and watched Asuma move in and out of the barn, hauling heavy metal parts inside. Naruto thought he wanted to see how the things progressed and didn't pay much attention to it. Right now, however, he felt he might have been wrong in his assumptions. Sasuke's body was tense and his face was set in a menacing scowl, only the burning red eyes were not trained on Naruto – he stared at the back door, looking ready to attack whoever was to enter.

"Sasuke," Naruto called, but the man didn't react, keeping his eyes on the door. Naruto knew this couldn't be good, for he still remembered the fight Sasuke had with Asuma last night, he didn't want the other man to get hurt again. He could hear Asuma's heavy steps as he approached the house, and jumped a little when Sasuke growled, looming over his seated form as if the omega was being taken from him already. And the sound was not that of a human, but one of a ferocious territorial beast that seemed to have finally woken and now wanted to protect what was rightfully his.

'Damn, this is bad,' Naruto feverishly tried to come up with something that would distract Sasuke enough for him to warn Asuma. Unfortunately, he was awfully short of time, so the only thing that came to his mind was to put himself between Sasuke and the door. He jumped to his feet, but before he could make even one step away from the alpha, he felt strong hands gripping him by the waist and pulling him back. Naruto yelped in surprise, and spun around, holding onto Sasuke's forearms, so as not to fall onto him. At that very moment the door handle jerked. Asuma was going to enter and then god knows what would happen. Naruto realised he had to act fast, and before Sasuke, whose mind was obviously being consumed by primal instincts, could do something he would undoubtedly regret later, he pulled him down with as much force as he could master and crushed their lips together.

The omega's tan slender arms wound around Sasuke's shoulders, and his hands found their way into the thick black tresses, lightly tugging at them in a playful manner that the romance books Naruto read promised would drive the alpha insane with want and make him forget about everything but the passionate mate in his arms. Naruto didn't know how effective that would be in his case, them being unmated and all, but he hoped his daring actions would help Asuma escape. Luckily enough, Sasuke seemed to be fairly interested in the kiss and started reciprocating Naruto's inexperienced movements with great eagerness, almost biting at the plump rosy lips and making Naruto gasp and shiver at the new pleasant sensations.

He couldn't see the man enter but heard him take in a sharp breath at the sight that lay before his eyes. Naruto feared Sasuke could've heard it too and doubled his vigour, pressing into Sasuke and freeing one hand from the black mane to make an awkward gesture in Asuma's direction, hoping that the man would take the hint and leave. He didn't care if it was too risky to stay alone with Sasuke while he was like this, he just didn't want more blood to be shed unnecessarily. It turned out Asuma had other thoughts on the matter, and the next thing he knew Naruto was being practically torn from Sasuke and shoved outside.

"Hide in the truck!" Asuma yelled, standing in the doorway with his back turned towards the kitchen. Naruto was about to yell right back that it wasn't necessary, when he heard a series of loud crashes and a long high-pitched howl that followed coming from inside the house. Asuma looked like he was about to say something else, but received a hard blow in the back that sent him falling to the ground a couple of feet from the entrance. Naruto barely held back a horrified cry when he heard the alpha land on his shoulder, a sickening crack accompanying the impact. He was so shocked by what had just happened, he almost missed the dark figure that jumped into the back yard, clearly aiming for Asuma's still body with the intent to finish him off.

"No!" Naruto moved before he could think it through and found himself on his knees with his arms spread wide, sheltering the man on the ground from a huge deadly beast that could easily tear him to pieces. The last thing he saw before he squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for imminent pain, were two blazing crimson orbs boring into his very soul. The pain never came though, only a loud thump and a fountain of dug up earth that sprayed him as Sasuke stopped his heavy body from crashing into the omega. When Naruto felt brave enough to open his eyes, he saw the majestic black wolf standing before him and sniffing the air, clearly interested. Naruto shuddered. He tried to convince himself that it was still Sasuke, but something inside him was telling him it wasn't so.

A low pained sigh behind him made Naruto glance down at Asuma and see him indeed unconscious. The blond wanted to get closer to check how serious the damage was, but was stopped by a menacing growl of the wolf, who watched him with unblinking red eyes.

"Sasuke, we need to get him help, please," he tried, but saw that his words fell on deaf ears. Naruto looked up and came face to face with the full moon, rising slowly over the tree tops and casting its still invisible light on the earth. The sun hadn't even sat down completely, but the moon was already taking over the sky, as well as over Sasuke's mind. He needed to do something, help Asuma somehow or at least call for help, but as he gazed into Sasuke's feral eyes he thought that he himself might be in much greater danger than he originally imagined. Unlike last night, they held no human consciousness in them whatsoever, and that unnerved the omega immensely. He still decided to give it one last try.

"Sasuke," he called, "Please, listen to me," when the wolf showed no sign of understanding him, Naruto started to realise he must have made a serious mistake when he came here. But it was too late to feel sorry for himself now, he had better think how to lead Sasuke further away from Asuma, and hope the alpha would soon regain consciousness on his own.

Naruto got to his feet slowly and carefully, so as not to provoke Sasuke into action. He tried to keep eye contact but constantly felt himself wanting to drop his gaze down and bend his head in a display of submission. The wolf seemed to appreciate that and followed him when he started to back towards the barn, whose doors stood wide open. Naruto saw them only in the corner of is eye, but he knew it would be better to lead Sasuke that way than let him set off into the woods. Though Naruto doubted the wolf would want to go too far away from him, now that he had scented him. His heat had subsided a great deal and didn't bother Naruto so much any more, but it looked like the beast got excited about his presence as much as he would have had Naruto just been starting it. To say it worried the omega would be an understatement, but at the same time it brought him a weird kind of satisfaction he didn't even know how to classify.

Once in the barn, Naruto dared to look around, quickly taking in the surroundings, and spotting the prepared cage almost immediately. It was fairly tall and spacious, the bars thick and sturdy, but nothing could make better the fact that it was suited for an animal. Naruto felt guilty, thinking about what he had to do after all: he needed to lure Sasuke in there to be able to help Asuma.

While Naruto was figuring out how exactly he could do that, the wolf came up to him and pressed his head into his stomach, rubbing it against the fabric and letting out a small whine. That startled Naruto, and he instinctively put his hands on top of the black head, brushing the thick fur. Sasuke made a contented guttural sound, the tail wagging happily behind him. The sight was sweet in a way, and Naruto found himself smiling down at the black muzzle. Maybe there still was a way to get to him. Naruto wanted to try talking to Sasuke again, when the wolf suddenly jumped on him, pushing him to the ground with large strong paws. The force of the impact made Naruto's breath hitch and he groaned from the pain that bloomed in his back when he hit the wooden floor.

What he didn't expect, however, was a wet hot tongue licking at the side of his face, then going lower to his neck but meeting the collar of the pullover. The blond was afraid to breathe when the strong jaws were so close to him, but as he took in small breaths the alpha's scent started to flood his senses, making his heartbeat pick its pace and his skin tingle with excitement. His clothes was rapidly becoming itchy and uncomfortable, he wanted to take it off, and Sasuke apparently thought alike because he ripped the pullover with his teeth, the fangs doing away with the fabric as if it was paper. Naruto felt a shiver run down his spine and couldn't decide whether it was from fear or arousal at this demonstration of raw strength.

When the wolf went for his jeans though, Naruto jerked awake from his mesmerised state and hurried to scramble back from the large body. He almost got to his hands and knees, but Sasuke didn't let him stand up, pinning him down with his strong form. Naruto felt helpless, but at the same time like he had no need to run from the alpha, like everything was how it should be. He didn't get to think about it for too long, for the weight was suddenly gone from his back, and he craned his neck to see what had happened. Sasuke was standing with his hackles raised, facing the entrance.

"Naruto!" it was Asuma's voice. Naruto finally got to his feet and saw the man right outside the barn, holding his left shoulder and wincing in pain. "Are you hurt?" he asked, his eyes darting to Naruto for a moment where the omega hurriedly shook his head no, not risking to shout near Sasuke.

Asuma took a couple of steps forward, to which Sasuke gave a warning growl, daring the man to come closer. And before Naruto could comprehend what had happened Asuma charged at the wolf, running fast and getting to him in mere seconds. Sasuke reacted immediately and in no time the two were fighting on the ground. Naruto ran to the cage and opened the metal door, which Asuma had left unlocked. He assumed the alpha also had the key and realised he wouldn't have managed to close it on his own. But now he was here and they had to somehow put Sasuke into the cage.

A loud cry got Naruto's eyes glued to the two struggling figures. Asuma was on the ground, his eyes squeezed shut and face scrunched up in pain. Sasuke was coming towards him, ready to close his massive jaws around the alpha's throat, but in the last moment the man rolled to the side and evaded the deadly attack.

"Asuma!" Naruto called to get his attention to the opened cage, but Sasuke turned to him too and, seeing that the intruding alpha was heading towards his omega, hurried to Naruto's side to fend Asuma off. Naruto still held onto the metal door, gripping the bars so hard his knuckles turned white. Sasuke was coming to him, and Naruto could sense his need to protect him, that's why when he saw Asuma following the wolf and nodding at him to get ready for what he was about to do, Naruto braced himself, even though he felt like a lowly traitor.

"Naruto, now!" Asuma's cry distracted Sasuke just for one moment, but that was enough for Asuma to hit him with his healthy shoulder, knocking him off his feet and sending him tumbling into the cage, which Naruto shut closed as soon as the wolf was inside. Asuma quickly turned the key in the lock and when Sasuke crashed against the door in an attempt to get back outside, it shook but didn't give in. An irritated growl and angry scrapping of claws on metal made Naruto's skin crawl and cheeks grow pink in shame. He just did what he was so much against in the first place, he was a horrible person.

"Don't worry, he will be fine in there, and won't get out until sunrise," Asuma's words were meant to be reassuring but only made the nasty feeling in Naruto's stomach worse.

"Yeah, I figured," he sighed. Then he remembered about the alpha's injury and berated himself for wallowing in self-pity when the man needed help. "Come on, we must find some bandages to fasten your arm."

As they were going out of the barn, Naruto offering Asuma a hand to lean on, the wolf's angry growls became mixed with desperate whines. Sasuke saw his mate being led away and could do nothing to stop him. Naruto could clearly sense his anguish and it was breaking his heart, but he had to go. He cast one last glance at the mighty black wolf trapped in the cage, burning red eyes looking straight in his guilty blue ones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Strawberry Moon has come! Next chapter will be about how it went for Sasuke and Naruto, as well as the aftermath the morning after.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second half of the night of the full moon and the morning after. Brace yourselves, it's not going to be sweet. Still, I hope you'll like the chapter.
> 
> Warnings: shapeshifting, bestiality, light non-con, drama.

The moon shone brightly in the cloudless sky. It turned dark already and the glittering starts lay scattered against the black background. It was a beautiful night but Naruto couldn’t help but shiver at a particularly strong gust of wind that blew through the woods and made the trees dance, creaking and rustling. The moonlight coloured the treetops a pale silver and cast numerous shadows on the ground that moved eerily in the wind. A piercing howl joined its mournful tune, and Naruto’s shoulders hunched, as if waiting for a blow that never came.

He led Asuma inside, and in the electric light could assess how badly Sasuke had got him. The damage turned out to be more serious than he had thought. When they reached the living room the alpha was swaying badly on his feet. He sank onto the couch heavily and looked at Naruto with one eye, as the other had swelled shut.

“The first aid kit must be somewhere in the bathroom, you’ll find one at the end of the hall,” his voice got weaker towards the end, and Naruto knew he had to be quick.

“I’ll be right back,” he said as he went in the direction Asuma had given him. The bathroom was there, but the kit wasn’t, Naruto checked twice. He stood in the hall in front of it quite troubled, but then noticed a staircase leading to the other floor. He had no time to ask Asuma, so he climbed it and started to search for the kit there. The first two rooms were empty, as in completely void of any furniture, even the curtains were missing. That made Naruto feel very unsettled, because it screamed of Sasuke’s loneliness, and reminded him of his own., which Naruto purposefully refused to acknowledge in his everyday life and tried to occupy himself with work and helping others so as not to think about how empty his own life was.

Now was not the moment to dwell upon it either, so Naruto proceeded in his search, entering another room and stilling as soon as he was inside. It was Sasuke’s bedroom. Involuntary Naruto took a deep breath, letting the alpha’s lingering scent calm down his wild thoughts and guilty conscience. It was particularly strong here, the musky scent tinged with heady undertones which spoke of a rut at its peak. Naruto snapped his mouth shut once he realised he had opened it to taste the air better, and bit his bottom lip, feeling a sudden urge to moan. His head was becoming dizzy with each second he passed in the enclosed space soaked in Sasuke’s scent. He looked at the rumpled sheets on the bed accusingly, as if they were the main reason of his arousal, which was totally out-of-place.

Naruto was ready to turn on his heels and leave the room but a pile of clothes, left carelessly on the chair that stood by an empty oak desk, caught his attention. He glanced down at his bare chest and thought that borrowing a shirt wouldn’t hurt. He took a white t-shirt that lay rumpled on top and pulled it on. Even though it was two sizes too big for him, if not more, and hang on him loosely, Naruto didn’t care. What was more difficult to ignore, however, was the scent that emanated from it, engulfing him in its warm calming embrace and making Naruto want to stop and enjoy it. He was so tired and the alpha’s presence was all he needed. Sasuke’s firm but gentle touch, his protective arms around him and deep rumbling voice next to his ear - oh how Naruto craved all that. He positively hated himself now for denying it all this time, and even locking Sasuke up while he could be safe and happy by his side under the full moon.

Naruto realised he had to see Sasuke right now, to run into that barn and...

Thinking of the barn brought him back to the reason he went into Sasuke’s room in the first place. Asuma needed the bandages, and here he was daydreaming about the shapeshifter he had helped to isolate himself. Naruto tried to stay focused for the next half an hour in which he finally found the first aid kit (it was almost empty, probably often used by Sasuke) and did his best to fasten Asuma’s arm and shoulder, disinfecting the new cuts and bruises. Then Asuma took some painkillers and promised that he would be strong enough to drive them back to the inn by daylight. Naruto protested, saying that he was in no state to drive, and wanted to call Chiyo or Shikamaru to ask for assistance, but the alpha persuaded him not to do it. “I don’t want to worry them,” he said, and Naruto had to give in. As the man was drifting off to a medicine-induced sleep, he beckoned Naruto to come closer.

“I know the pull may be strong, but don’t go to the cage, in the morning you may regret it,” the words were said in a low whisper, and sounded more foreboding than anything, but Naruto made himself solemnly nod in acknowledgement. After that he stayed in the living room for another hour, trying hard not to go against his silent word.

At one point, however, the howling that still came from outside at shortening intervals, became simply impossible to bear any longer. Naruto stood up from the armchair and walked out through the back door, going to the barn with determined steps. He had promised to Sasuke he wouldn’t leave him alone, and yet he did just that. Naruto was disgusted with himself. The wolf must have felt him approaching, and when the omega entered he stood perfectly still, his muzzle mere inches from the bars. Judging by the numerous indents and scrapes, Sasuke had been gnawing and clawing at them in futile attempts to get free. Naruto felt a new pang of guilt at the sight and gulped nervously, slowly moving towards the cage.

“Hey, Sasuke,” maybe the shifter didn’t understand him now but he still wanted to apologise, “I know I haven’t kept my promise to you after all, and I’m really sorry,” he stopped one step away from the bars. “I won’t leave you now, until it’s all over,” saying this, Naruto sank onto his knees in front of Sasuke, his head now level with the wolf’s. They had gazed into each other’s eyes for a full minute before Sasuke moved. He pressed his nose between the bars, sniffing the air and stepping back with a contented huff, his hot breath reaching Naruto’s face. He smiled softly at the wolf’s reaction, guessing that he must’ve felt his own scent on him. Naruto scooter closer to the cage.

“You know, I really wish we could talk more, I think we have a lot in common,” he said wistfully, looking at the wolf, but seeing Sasuke’s sad exhausted face instead. Suddenly Sasuke hit the metal bars with his body, making them rattle loudly with the force of the impact. Naruto fell back, startled by the noise.

“Wh-what are you doing?” he practically squeaked, seeing the wolf getting ready for another hit. “Stop!” he shouted, but it was too late, and the black body crashed into the cage again. Sasuke was growling now, clawing at the thick bars in vain. He opened his jaws wide, trying to snap them shut and crack the metal, only that was impossible. Naruto feared he would eventually break his teeth if he kept it up. “Please, Sasuke, don’t do that! You’re hurting yourself!” Sasuke didn’t hear him, if anything his pleas seemed to have made the alpha’s attempts more desperate. And then Naruto realised - Sasuke was trying so hard because he felt that he was distressed.

“Oh god, I’m just making it worse, I...” Naruto knew it really would be better for him to leave, but when he started to back away from the cage, not able to turn away from the trapped wolf, Sasuke visibly tensed and let out a long anguished howl. It seemed to contain all the sadness and despair he felt at the prospect of Naruto disappearing from his sight once again, and the omega simply couldn’t make another step. He saw Sasuke suffering because of him and knew that if he wouldn’t do anything to help the man now, he wouldn’t be able to look at himself in the mirror for the rest of his life.

Naruto made a decision - he would be there for Sasuke, he would go into that cage. But first he needed the keys. His mind set and a little feverish at the mere thought of doing something so bold and potentially dangerous, Naruto got to the cage once again and, having stuck his hands inside, got hold of Sasuke’s big head, grabbing it firmly and looking straight into the wolf’s eyes.

“I’m going to open it, just wait for me,” he hoped Sasuke got his reassuring intonation for what it was and ran out of the barn, trying not to concentrate on the resumed sounds of heavy body hitting metal bars and loud growls and whines. He needed to move fast.

The whole trip to the house and back must’ve taken no longer than five minutes, or so Naruto hoped at least, but what he saw when he returned made his heart sink.

The floor of the cage was splashed with drops of blood, and after a closer look at Sasuke Naruto noticed that his lower jaw was glistening in the pale light of the moon that came through the large barn windows. The blond guessed Sasuke had broken one of his teeth after all, and a small white chunk lying just outside the cage confirmed his suspicions. Naruto suddenly felt sick, the coppery smell seemingly coming from everywhere, making him feel trapped and helpless. His body felt hot all over and when he glanced down at his hands, one clutching the key and trembling a little, he saw them covered in orange fur. Sharp claws were digging into his palm where he squeezed his empty hand into a tight fist. The clothes he wore became highly uncomfortable, especially the shoes which were too tight on his feet, and when Naruto took them off he saw that they now resembled paws. He swiftly got rid of the rest of his clothes, he knew he wouldn’t need them for what he was about to do. Strangely enough, he wasn’t as disturbed by his appearance as he was the first time he acknowledged the extent of the changes. Compared to Sasuke, his shiftings were nothing.

He looked at the wolf who stood still and watched him carefully, only his actively moving tail giving away the growing excitement he felt. It was now or never. He was strong and he would do this. With this thought Naruto opened the cage and stepped inside.

At first the wolf did nothing but smell him, slowly approaching the omega’s slightly trembling figure. Sasuke pressed his nose into his stomach and, nuzzling it for a short moment, went lower, tickling the skin of Naruto’s inner thighs with hot puffs of breath. Naruto didn’t quite know what to do but decided to go along with his instincts and got on his knees, hugging the wolf around the neck and ruffling the fur on his back. Sasuke was definitely bigger than a dog, even the largest one, but the little sounds he made while being petted reminded Naruto of one. He immediately berated himself for the thought. Sasuke was no dog, he was a man, and a very unhappy one. If he happened to be near when he so desperately needed an omega to breed, Naruto was ready to fill the role, no matter how crazy that sounded. He knew he would be giving his first time to a complete stranger, a full shifter no less, but somehow Naruto felt it would be worth it. Or maybe those were his hormones speaking.

The wolf toppled him to the ground and started to inspect the blond’s prone body, licking there, nibbling here, and Naruto could sense arousal igniting inside him, ready to turn into a raging fire and consume him whole. Sasuke was making a deep rumbling sound that reminded Naruto of his human voice, and he closed his eyes, trying to imagine that it was the man who was getting ready to take him, and not a huge dangerous beast. Sasuke’s muzzle came in between Naruto’s legs and he felt wide laps of the wolf’s long tongue at his sack and crack. He was hardly wet down there now, despite his state of arousal. Perhaps, he should’ve drunk that tea Chiyo brought him this morning after all. Oh well, it was too late to regret it now anyway. He knew saliva was not the best lubricant but it was all he got, so Naruto decided to at least try to work himself open for what was to come.

He slipped two fingers into his mouth, wincing at the claws that almost grazed his tongue. Alright, he’d just have to be more careful when he fingered himself. Naruto tentatively reached his opening, experimentally slipping one finger in, and his natural slick seemed to have done the trick as he didn’t hurt himself in the process. Sasuke stopped his movements, just watching Naruto, so the blond decided to give him a little show. He still avoided looking down at him though, preferring to think it was the real Sasuke who was watching his fingers disappear into the moist pink hole. By the time he got the third finger in, Naruto was already letting out short moans and drinking in the fantasy of Sasuke fucking him with his own long pale fingers. That’s why when he felt cool wet nose nudge him in the side he gasped in surprise and snapped his tightly shut eyes open.

The wolf’s sharp features came into his line of vision and by the looks of it he wanted Naruto to turn so that he was on his hands and knees. It truly was humiliating, but he didn’t have much choice. Another nudge came and Naruto had to comply, trying not to look at the alpha’s engorged cock that slid out, glistening wetly with precome and ready for action. He took the needed position, shutting out all thoughts that threatened to crush him if he so much as let them resurface now. Like how this was so different from what he imagined his first time would be like, and how this must be just the continuation of his bad luck that seemed to follow him ever since his parents died, and how cheap and desperate he would come off as, were any of his friends or colleagues to find out about what he did.

Right now all that didn’t matter, for all he could think of was the hot weight that settled above him, pressing on his shoulders so that they dug into the cold floor, while his rear came higher in the air, brushing against the fur on Sasuke’s underbelly. The wolf moved, positioning himself, and Naruto couldn’t hold back a moan when he felt the hot long shaft slide against his crack. From his angle he could see Sasuke’s paw with its deadly claws scrapping on the metal floor, probably trying to get a better hold before starting. Sasuke’s breath came in heavy pants that tickled the back of Naruto’s neck and the proximity to the ground filled his nostrils with the sharp scent of metal and blood smeared on it. Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath, involuntary tensing up more than he should have.

When the wolf thrust inside for the first time, all Naruto could feel was the blunt pain. He gasped in shock, but made no sound, gripping at the bars in front of him. He didn’t try to escape either, attempting to take deep even breaths and relax as much as possible. Because that was apparently the key to easier penetration, at least according to the numerous books he read. None of them prepared him for this. The next time Sasuke moved, he went much deeper, actually, Naruto had the same impression with each following thrust, the alpha’s cock seemed unbearably thick and long, filling him full and then some more. The wolf didn’t hold back, perhaps, wouldn’t know how to. His growls of pleasure rang loud in Naruto’s ears, effectively drowning out his own sobs and whimpers. He thought it couldn’t get any worse and at a certain point started to believe he was beginning to like the hot stinging sensation each snap of Sasuke’s hips brought him. Oh how he was wrong.

Sasuke set a fairly brutal rhythm almost from the very beginning, so when he stuttered a bit, Naruto didn’t think much of it, but when he did it again, and then again, each time pressing a little harder into Naruto’s abused hole, trying to shove his cock deeper (if that was even possible), Naruto suspected he did it on purpose. But what was he going to-

And then it hit him. Almost as hard as the wolf slammed his hips into him, getting his swollen knot to breach the tight ring of muscles, tearing it a bit in the process. Naruto cried out in pain, this time trying to scoot away from the hard length, but Sasuke’s weight didn’t let him go far. Sasuke started to grind into him, pushing the knot further inside, until Naruto saw dots in the corners of his eyes, almost blacking out from the piercing pain. It was unbearable, and the high-pitched whine that filled his ears made it even more excruciating. It was only a couple of moments later that Naruto realised he was the one making that noise.

Sasuke finally stilled, now fully sheathed inside. But that was not the end, and before Naruto could get a better grip on reality, his left shoulder exploaded with searing pain. Sasuke sank his teeth in deep, drawing blood and marking the omega as his. Naruto opened his mouth in a silent cry, tears running down his cheeks and knuckles turning white around the metal bars. He let out a long shuddering breath that turned to a wet sob, then bit the inside of his cheek hard, trying to distract himself from one pain with the other, but failing miserably. Everything just hurt so much.

He was afraid to move, thinking it would inevitably bring more unpleasant sensations. What he didn’t expect, however, was to feel hot liquid flood his gut, and when Sasuke made a low rumbling sound in his chest that vibrated against his shoulder, still held tight in the massive jaws, and tensed above him, Naruto realised that he had come inside him. The blond was too overwhelmed at the moment to think what it meant. He had a feeling Sasuke would be alright if he kept standing while knotted to him, but Naruto couldn’t keep any part of his body up any longer. He gingerly reached back to where they were connected for god knows how long and pulled the wolf down by the balls (which was not too gentle, but considering what had just happened, didn’t make Naruto feel guilty at all).

Sasuke whined pitifully, but thankfully complied, settling carefully on his side and pulling Naruto closer by laying a foreleg across his waist. All this moving around felt highly unpleasant and Naruto hissed a few times. Still, he couldn’t stay mad at Sasuke, especially when he started to lick at his shoulder and neck, as if he was apologising for all the pain he had caused. The gentle laps and nuzzles lulled Naruto into a deep dreamless sleep, and the last thing he saw before drifting off was the silver light of the full moon streaming in through the open door of the barn.

\- - -

The morning came all too soon and with it the dull ache in his backside and shoulder, which Naruto couldn’t ignore any longer. He opened his eyes to the sight of a vaguely familiar room. He himself was lying on the bed, dark blue sheets rumpled and twisted around him, as well as the two pillows and the blanket. Together they looked like a clumsily built nest, meant to protect him from the cold on all sides. It still didn’t take the pain away. He felt almost as if he had been...

Naruto sat with a start, immediately regretting it and cursing aloud. The memories of last night were slowly coming back, making him wish they weren’t. How could he allow that to happen? He had totally failed his self-assigned mission to see that everything went without incidents during the full moon, but what was worse - he let Sasuke, who wasn’t even realising what he was doing, take him right in that damned cage. Naruto got lightheaded all of a sudden. ‘This is insane,’ he thought, recalling every tiny detail of what transpired in the cage he had been so adamantly against.

Naruto took a couple of deep breaths, trying to prevent hyperventilation that was obviously on its way. He glanced down at his body, noting that he wore a different shirt, which was also several sized too big for him and pooled around his thighs, covering them while he sat. He had no underwear though, and that led him to a rather embarrassing conclusion - whoever dressed him definitely saw his private parts and his injured back, and as he could smell only one scent in the room, Naruto knew it must’ve been Sasuke. He wasn’t anywhere close at the moment though, and the blond couldn’t decide whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

Not that he would’ve been able to look the man in the eye, had he been in the room with him. Naruto felt incredibly guilty and shameful, for his behaviour had been absolutely unacceptable and the decisions he had made only led to more damage and trouble. The image of the wolf mounting him stood awfully clear in his mind, and Naruto could almost smell blood on metal and the heady scent of alpha in a rut, and could hear the scraping of claws and the wolf’s huffing and growling as he pressed him down, thick fur tickling his skin. Naruto put a hand on his left shoulder, pressing lightly and wincing at the pulsing pain that shot through him at the touch. Somehow, the books and films always spoke of mating marks as something intimate and almost sacred, failing to mention how agonising it was to get one.

Remembering that such marks usually symbolised ultimate devotion and undying love between mates, Naruto cringed and felt a sudden urge to hide in a place where nobody would ever find him and judge him for his foolish actions.

‘No wonder Sasuke’s not here, he probably can’t stand the sight of me,’ he thought glumly, the need to run growing stronger with every passing second. The sound of someone walking downstairs set him into action. Naruto quickly went to the bathroom where he had found the first aid kit, and showered, deliberately not looking at his reflection as he washed his face at the sink. Then he quickly dressed in the clothes still lying on the chair in the bedroom and went downstairs barefoot.

He was determined to face Sasuke like a man, but only found Asuma in the living room. The alpha looked better but the concerned expression on his face made Naruto avert his gaze and look at anything but the man’s warm brown eyes, pitying him no doubt. And while Asuma didn’t seem to be the kind of person to say ‘I told you so,’ Naruto didn’t want to take any chances and before the brunet could say anything, spoke.

“Please, take me to the inn,” Naruto still avoided meeting his eyes, but thankfully Asuma didn’t call him on that.

“Alright,” was all he said before heading outside, and Naruto followed. He didn’t ask where Sasuke was, and Asuma offered no information, so he decided he didn’t want, didn’t need to know, fearing to hear the Uchiha was angry with him and had told Asuma everything about his lowly behaviour in the barn.

They drove through the woods in silence, Asuma gripping the steering wheel with one hand, while the other lay in his lap, the arm held tightly by the bandages. The rough road made the car jerk and lurch a lot, and Naruto’s lower back definitely did not appreciate that. By the time they got to the inn, he could barely keep small whimpers from escaping his mouth. Luckily, Asuma didn’t comment on that.

As soon as the truck stopped, Naruto hurried outside, ignoring the pain the active movements brought him. He met Chiyo on the doorstep, but didn’t acknowledge her, nor stopped when she called after him. He didn’t need her lectures right now, he just wanted to leave. In his room he took off Sasuke’s clothes, silently saying goodbye to the comforting scent, fairly sure he would never feel it again. Not if he could help it.

The packing took him no more than a quarter of an hour, and when he returned to the back yard, hauling his suitcase behind him, he saw Asuma and Chiyo talking quietly by the truck, probably discussing his downfall. Naruto came closer and they stopped, confirming his suspicion.

“Would you give me a ride to the station?” he asked Asuma, sounding too meek to his own liking. The alpha nodded, but Chiyo took a step towards him.

“Naruto, you shouldn’t leave now, in your condition-,”

“I’ll send you the check,” he cut her off rather rudely, but didn’t feel particularly guilty about it. He simply couldn’t stand staying another minute in this place. An image of Sasuke, sad and broken, flashed before his eyes, but Naruto steeled his heart. He was too careless and acted on impulse, taking upon himself more than he could handle, and this was the result.

“Please, listen, you have to stay, the bond you have with Sasuke-,” Chiyo tried again but Naruto was having none of it.

“There is no bond, I thought I could help, but ruined everything, I-,” the words stuck in his throat. “I can’t stay, I just can’t,” he managed, and before Chiyo could say anything else, pushed past her to the truck.

As he got farther away from the inn, Naruto thought how the fate seemed to have played a cruel joke on him. He came here to get better and have a good rest, but ended up getting himself in a mess of unthinkable proportions. He lost his virginity to a man, a shapeshifter he barely knew, but really wanted to, and promised him support and friendship he realised he could no longer give, for each time he thought of Sasuke, he saw burning red eyes and felt himself pressed to the cold floor, trapped, helpless, and engulfed by pain and hot shame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry their first mating had to go like this, I promise eventually things will get better. Next chapter is going to be from Sasuke's POV, so you'll get to see his side of the story and learn what he is going to do to get Naruto back.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter is up! Sorry for the long wait, I'm trying to get back on track after the winter break. This chap is Sasuke-centred and things get a little ugly, but it throws more light on his past.
> 
> Warnings: angst, self-hatred, mentions of past tragedy and violence.

Sasuke woke to the light chirping of birds in the forest and a cool morning breeze on the bare skin of his shoulders, begrudgingly coming back from the realm of beautiful dreams, where he held his mate, an omega with a charming smile and an endlessly kind heart, in his arms, shielding him from all the hardships in the world, to the harsh reality where he was painfully alone. He felt his whole body ache from the uncomfortable position that he was currently in and from the shiftings he had undergone in the last twenty four hours. But at the same time there was an unfamiliar but highly pleasant hum somewhere deep in his chest, as if a mechanism keeping him alive finally got the gears it had been lacking for so long and now functioned properly, creating a smooth and orderly flow of warmth that threatened to flood his system. It was a wonderful feeling, and Sasuke didn’t want to open his eyes, fearing that it would go away once he was fully awake. A whole minute passed before he creaked one bleary eye open to glance around, expecting to find himself somewhere deep in the woods in a self-made hole or in a clearing, which was always the case when he shifted back after the full moons, but what Sasuke saw made blood run cold in his veins.

There, on the cold floor of a metal cage he had Asuma build for him, lay the omega he longed for, curled in on himself and covered in blood and dirt. He was barely at an arm’s length and Sasuke could make out with merciless clarity every scratch, every bruise and every ugly gash on the otherwise smooth unblemished skin. Even featherly soft fair hair were matted and dull, laying flat and tangled on the head, turned just so that Sasuke couldn’t see the omega’s face. But he didn’t need to, he’d recognise him anywhere by the slightest whiff of his scent - now a perfect mix of them both. Uzumaki Naruto now belonged to him.

The thought came so suddenly and brought him such immense satisfaction, Sasuke clutched his head in his hands, tugging hard at the black shaggy tresses to get rid of the crazed possessiveness that started taking over any rational though left in his useless brain. How could this happen? His breath came in short panicked pants, which made matters worse, as he inevitably inhaled more of the stench that soaked into every corner of this wretched place. It screamed of sex, heat and blood - a sign that his omega was marked by him and was his and his alone now - but Sasuke didn’t want that to happen. He would never have done it willingly to someone, let alone an unsuspecting unmated omega like Naruto. That’s why he’d been so adamant about the cage. And Naruto knew very well about his condition, how on Earth did he end up here?

Sasuke reached towards the naked injured figure with a trembling hand. He was so small, and seemed even more so in this helpless position. When Sasuke touched his left shoulder, carefully avoiding the deep bite marks his own teeth had inflicted, Naruto flinched ever so slightly, but that was enough for Sasuke to immediately snatch his hand away as if burned, even though the skin was really cold to the touch. That discovery kicked him into action, the need to help his mate overpowering the disgust he felt for himself at the moment.

He nervously scooted closer to Naruto, getting on his knees and gently taking the frail omega into his arms, making sure he got a good grip on him before standing up. Sasuke swayed a bit but didn’t let the soreness in his muscles stop him from carrying the blond out of the damned cage and away from the barn. Only in the yard he dared to glance down at Naruto’s face, framed by damp dirtied locks and stained with tear streaks, but still as soft and angelic as it was before the whole nightmare had happened. Sasuke’s heart clenched when he imagined it contorted with anger and contempt once he found out what Sasuke had done to him. He shooed the unpleasant thought away and made himself look straight ahead as he entered the house through the wrecked back door.

The velvety skin under his fingers and the scent of the omega he held so close still affected him, and Sasuke felt blood pool at the bottom of his stomach, pumped by his madly beating heart. The full moon may have left the sky but his rut was still there, and Sasuke knew his treacherous body wouldn’t mind another round with the sweet ripe omega he already claimed. They already sealed the deal, so why not take up this wonderful opportunity and take his mate again in the bedroom, pound him into the mattress nice and hard until the sheets are soaked with omega slick and his thick cu-

“God damnit! Focus, Uchiha, you pathetic scum,” Sasuke hissed, stopping in front of the staircase and taking deep shuddering breaths in attempt to extinguish the desire that lit his blood on fire and roared in his ears, making it incredibly hard to follow with the task at hand. He needed to help Naruto, clean him, tend to his wounds and get him into a warm comfortable bed. He could do this.

The walk up the stairs was torturously slow and by the time he reached the bathroom, Sasuke was shaking and sweating, but still holding Naruto safely in his arms. He carefully put him in the tub and fumbled with the shower head at the sink, getting the temperature just right before rinsing away blood and grime from the prone tan body with a lathered washcloth. When pink water that went down the drain finally became clear, Sasuke ran the bath halfway to keep Naruto warm while he got antiseptic and the healing salve Chiyo had given him for such purposes. The kit was missing from the cabinet though, so he had to go fetch one from the supplies closet downstairs. Passing his bedroom, he pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to cover his own dirty body for the time being, and when he entered the living room he was glad he had done that.

Another alpha was lying on the couch, the heavy scent particularly irritating now that Sasuke’s senses were on high alert. He was asleep and seemingly injured, if laboured breathing and the sharp smell of medicaments that wafted off him were anything to go by. But however harmless, his presence made Sasuke tense and would’ve had his hackle raised, if he were in his wolf form. It took all his willpower to stifle the menacing growl when the alpha turned slightly in his uneasy sleep, and that was when Sasuke saw his face. It was Asuma, with a huge black eye that bloomed wide and spread almost to the middle of his cheek. He had other scraps and bruises but what shocked Sasuke most was his bandaged arm, broken or dislocated he couldn’t tell, but it was obviously his fault. The sight must’ve stirred his fuzzy memory of the disastrous night, because Sasuke started recalling the events bit by bit.

He remembered speaking with Naruto, admiring his expressive face in the rays of the setting sun as the blond talked, remembered the sound of his wonderful melodious voice, and how peaceful and right he felt at that moment until he sensed danger coming from the back yard. One moment he was melting under the soft caresses Naruto generously gave him, and the other he was crouched on the ground ready to tear apart the intruder. Then he attacked, the hot bitter scent of the fallen alpha’s blood clear in the fresh summer air. He remembered the excitement of being close to getting his chosen mate to submit, only to be shoved into the cold metal cage to suffer under strong waves of helpless lust and longing, being unable to do anything but watch his omega leave him for another, weaker alpha. The pain of betrayal was unbearable until it got swept away by the sweet warm presence of his mate, still untouched, still his to claim. And then it was pure bliss.

Sasuke swayed on his feet and clutched his head, not trusting himself to be able to relive that part and still function properly to help Naruto. He hurried to get what he came for and headed upstairs at once, forcing himself to ignore the man in the living room and deciding to deal with shame and remorse later. It was a real challenge to get Naruto out of the tub and into his room, but Sasuke managed just fine, only catching himself ogling the naked body once. He made sure to take care of every injury Naruto had because of him, from the angry red marks on his shoulder to the light scrapes on his knees that were bruising rather badly as well. The moment Sasuke started cleaning the puffy reddened hole the wolf had abused with his knot, he wanted nothing more than to beat himself up so badly he wouldn’t be able to get up for weeks, and even then he was sure he would feel like a total piece of shit for putting Naruto through something like this.

What made things worse, even unconscious the blond was making small whimpers every time Sasuke put too much pressure on the sensitive sore skin, as if reminding him that he was only so good at hurting the ones he cared about. Be it Asuma, a sturdy alpha who could stand his ground, or Shikamaru, an beta whose power lay mainly with his brains - the wolf didn’t care, but the fact that he ended up hurting Naruto was the last straw for Sasuke, and he could practically feel himself starting to crumble on the inside from regret and self-hatred.

He knew from the start that he wouldn’t be able to ever find someone who would want to create a family with him, but Naruto was different. He was the first Sasuke had felt a real connection with, the one who he wanted to call his mate so much it actually hurt. And what did he do? He ruined his chance with the omega, however small and hypothetical, with his own hands. Or rather with his abominable shifted form.

Sasuke pulled one of his shirts over Naruto’s head and carefully put his arms through the holes, finally giving the blond some decency. Then he proceeded to tuck him in his bed, arranging the pillows and covers so that he would be comfortable and warm. It was the least Sasuke could do for him now, and when he stepped away from the cocoon of fabric he created, he pretended that the blurriness of his vision was from fatigue rather than bitter tears welling up in his eyes.

He needed to get away from Naruto, he knew he did, and yet the temptation to get under the covers with him and stay there forever was so strong Sasuke had to bite the inside of his cheek hard to get his mind going in the right direction. Luckily, the bitter taste of his own blood helped him to snap out of it and leave the room to go downstairs, even though the growing hard on in his pants was making it rather difficult. Sasuke knew he wouldn’t hold out long, so he needed to get as far away from the house while he was still thinking straight. He was heading for the front door when a voice from the living room stopped him.

“Sasuke, is that you?” Asuma woke up and by the sound of it was standing up from the couch, his pained grumble quite audible in the quiet house. Soon he emerged from the room and leaned heavily against the wall, facing Sasuke and locking his dark brown eyes with guilty black ones. “Is he alright?”

Of course, Asuma realised what had happened, must have felt it in Sasuke’s new, omega-infused scent. Sasuke felt a lump form in his throat, making it incredibly hard to speak. He forced himself to answer nonetheless, voice coming out thick and hoarse, “He’s...resting.”

“I knew he’d go to the cage,” Asuma paused, “I couldn’t stop him,” he sighed tiredly. “It was his choice to-”

“No,” Sasuke knew Asuma was trying to make him feel better, but this was just bullshit, “None of what happened could’ve been his choice,” the words lay heavy on Sasuke’s tongue and left a sour taste. “He’s... I... I marked him when I was-,” Sasuke couldn’t bring himself to say it, everything was just so awfully wrong, “He shouldn’t have been here at all and,” he looked around himself, suddenly feeling like a trapped animal. An animal that he truly was, “I can’t stay here,” he moved to open the door.

“Sasuke,” Asuma’s voice held a certain gravity to it, and that made him still for a moment. “You know you won’t be able to go on without him for long now,” Sasuke gulped. Oh, he knew it very well, but luckily, it didn’t work for Naruto the same it did for an Uchiha, and if suffering a broken bond meant the blond’s safety from the ugly beast, Sasuke would gladly endure it.

“I’ll learn to cope,” he said and pushed the door open, going away from the house with a heavy heart and mind set to stay out of Naruto’s life. However hard it would be.

\- - -

The next two days Sasuke spent in the woods, shifting when night fell. The urge to seek out his mate was strong but he could keep it under control, occupying himself with hunting easy prey and running until his legs were numb. Still it was hard to go into withdrawal and deprive himself of the sweet omega scent, tinged perfectly with his own, this early into their bond, which Sasuke knew he felt much more acutely than Naruto. The beast inside him didn’t take the separation well, and every so often Sasuke felt sharp pangs in his chest, a nasty reminder of how far he was from his mate, who needed his care and protection, needed to be pampered and catered for. Only it was not the case. Deep down Sasuke understood that Naruto wouldn’t want to see his face, let alone take anything from him. At least it was justified and until Sasuke had a more or less firm grip on his consciousness, he was determined to ignore the pain tearing through his insides and do what was right. It was for Naruto’s sake, he kept telling himself in weak attempts to reason with the wolf, who blindly followed his instincts and howled at the waning moon, broken and more alone than he ever was.

At one point Sasuke found himself in a clearing where the old shrine stood, dilapidated by time and weather and slowly but steadily collapsing in on itself. That was where Naruto hid from him the night they met. The place still held the faint traces of Naruto’s scent, rich and heady from heat coursing through his body at the time, but also a tad bitter from fear and panic that Sasuke had been the source of. Unlike that night Sasuke could shift back (oh how he wished he could have done it then) and slip through the hole into the lower level of the old wooden building in his human form. His eyes immediately adjusted to the dark and Sasuke slowly took in the interior, ruined almost beyond recognition.

He had been in the shire once, his mother took him there on a beautiful warm spring day when the nature was just waking up from a long winter slumber, filling the air with fresh new scents that sang of young life and its excited vigour. Sasuke also remembered clearly his mother’s soothing scent and the comforting weight of her arms around him. He was five years old and fairly small for his age, but Mikoto firmly believed that he would grow tall and strong and cooed at him how happy she was to still be able to hold him close to her heart. The day stood vividly before Sasuke’s eyes, painting the bleak surroundings with the colours of the past, while Mikoto’s words rang loudly in his head.

“This is a very special place, Sasuke. You see that altar? That’s where the mighty moon god Tsukuyomi ties two souls together, forging a beautiful life-long bond between mates.”

The flat slab of rock set in the middle of the room, that inspired so much awe in Sasuke back then, now stood dirty grey and unassuming, looking like a useless attribute of some long lost pagan tradition. It made his heart heavy with indiscernible emotion that tugged unpleasantly at his gut, making him sick and uneasy.

In the summer that followed his excursion to the shrine, two memorable things happened: he turned six and thus officially became an alpha, his father scent marking him as his heir before a small group of relatives who had come to the main house for the occasion, and before that, in July, Itachi mated with their cousin Shisui. Sasuke didn’t quite understand how mate dynamics worked yet, but he knew that his brother was the happiest he had been in his entire life ever since he went to the shrine with Shisui and came out soaked with the strong fragrance of ceremonial oils and Shisui’s distinct alpha scent. That was why when it was time for him to make a birthday wish, Sasuke wished to have a wonderful mate one day and be endlessly happy, just like his brother.

Now that Sasuke thought of it, his forgotten childhood wish might have come true in the end, for he barely had the chance to be with his mate before he lost him, just like Itachi. At the end of that same summer he and Shisui went for a jog in the woods, going in their wolf forms because they both had been very much in tune with their beast side and could easily shift any time of the day. Sasuke was too young then and couldn’t really see the appeal of running around on all fours, nor did he grow used to it as he grew older, thinking of shifting as a heavy burden and even a curse rather than a nice perk to enjoy. It was largely due to the public opinion that deemed full shifters to be freaks of nature and extremely dangerous no mater the circumstances. But there was another reason, which was so painful to acknowledge Sasuke sometimes pretended it was just a figment of his imagination, that nourished his nightmares and often kept him awake at night.

Itachi and Shisui set out early in the morning, saying they wanted to be by the mountain river bank by noon, but when night fell it was only Itachi who returned. Sasuke remembered well the moment Itachi stumbled into the front yard on two feet, hair damp and tangled, hands and knees scraped and dirty. Sasuke dropped the red ball he’d been playing with, a present from uncle Teyaki, and came up to Itachi, but immediately recoiled when he saw an absolutely foreign expression on his brother’s face. It looked as if it was frozen all over and resembled a lifeless mask, only his eyes were blazing red and so intense Sasuke could never forget them ever since. In the depths of those crimson orbs was utter madness, and every time Sasuke recalled that look, a cold shiver ran down his spine. He remembered wanting to ask Itachi what was wrong but couldn’t bring himself to say a word to the stranger before him, because something told Sasuke that was no longer the Itachi he knew. Then his mother came running into the yard and soon his brother was taken into his room and treated with care and caution.

Sasuke didn’t know what had happened until he asked his father where Shisui was the next day. In fact, Fugaku was very vague on the subject, but when Sasuke sneaked out of his room later in the evening to visit Itachi, he heard a hushed conversation in the living room, where the whole family had gathered. They talked of “a tragic accident”, “fast waters”, “miscarriage” and “cruel fate”, and while the words made very little sense to Sasuke, the grave intonations told him that something truly awful had transpired in the woods and that Itachi would never be the same. What he, nor anyone in the family could expect was the extent of damage that Itachi’s mind had suffered, and the blind rage he went into a couple of days later.

Sasuke remembered only bits and pieces of the night the fire claimed his whole family, but he knew that the one who caused it was his brother. His angry screams that woke Sasuke up quickly turned to anguished howls and feral snarls. The moment he got downstairs the living room was already destroyed and heavy smoke was creeping into it from the kitchen, but it couldn’t prevent him from seeing the mutilated bodies of his aunt and uncle lying motionlessly on the heavily scraped floor. The sounds of struggle came from the back yard and Sasuke wanted to go there and see what was going on with his own eyes, but Mikoto stopped him and quickly carried him out of the house. The next thing he knew he was blindly running through the thick forest growth towards the meadow, his back turned on the glaring orange blaze, consuming his home and the life he had up to that moment.

Sasuke took in a sharp breath, the painful memories making his head pulse with dull ache. He took a couple of steps further into the dark room, stopping at the spot where he could make out Naruto’s footprints. There the omega’s scent was the strongest and Sasuke sank to the dirty floor, inhaling deeply and eagerly, as if trying to fool his brain into believing he was close to his mate again. Of course, mixed with dust and grime it was not enough, and Sasuke let out a long frustrated groan which turned into a dry sob at the end and was followed by a pitiful whine. He refused to get up though, feeling that after what he had done he was in his rightful place - on his knees, mourning the absence of the only person who could make his life complete, but would hardly ever want to do that. And for that Sasuke could only blame himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter Sasuke's POV will continue, also there will be a time skip. I promise to update sooner! ;)


End file.
